Police say an early morning fire that destroyed a historic building near the campus of Dickinson College is a case of arson. The Thornwald Mansion, built nearly 100 years ago for a million dollars, is now in ruins.

Firefighters extinguished a small fire near the front door Monday night. Early this morning, they returned for a second fire that was much bigger.

Not long into the long battle which began at approximately 4:30 a.m., fire officials made a decision to fight the fire defensively. All firefighters were pulled out and told to battle the flames from the outside.

The reason for that decision was safety: the Thornwald Mansion has 42 rooms, which means lots of places for fire to hide. "A firefighter will risk his life for another life, "said Cumberland County Public Information Officer John Bruetsch. "It's not worth it to go in to put the fire out." Aside from the complex nature of the mansion, there were other factors that made the fire difficult to fight. The mansion is down a long driveway, so water supply was an issue. It's also surrounded by many trees.

The mansion that once entertained dignitaries, came complete with a wine cellar, rooms of mahogany and marble, is no more. The caretaker put it this way: it's like a knife through the heart.

The building had been vacant for about a decade and police say that made it an easy target for vandals. People have broken into it, smashed windows, and spray-painted the walls.

A few people had expressed interest in buying this mansion over the past few years, but none of those plans went through. We're told the owner of the mansion purchased it 5 or 6 years ago for $360,000.

While there were no hard plans for the property, there was talk at one time of perhaps turning it into a bed and breakfast. All those plans are literally up in smoke.

Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call the Carlisle Police Department at 243-5252.