Inmate at Allegheny County Jail charged with causing fire in his cell that injured himself, 3 others

An Allegheny County Jail inmate lit a wad of toilet paper in his cell and fell asleep as the paper smoldered and dropped into a vent, causing smoke and fire to spread and injuring himself and three others, according to charges filed Friday.

Brian Douglas Leach, 49, of Pittsburgh, faces three counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of criminal mischief stemming from the fire that broke out about 10:40 p.m. Monday.

Allegheny County police said Leach, another inmate and two corrections officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Leach and the two officers were taken to hospitals, and the other inmate was tended to by the jail’s medical staff.

Leach told detectives that he lit the rolled up toilet paper — what he referred to as a “wick” — for the purpose of smoking it and stored it in a vent in his cell, according to a criminal complaint. He said he fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. and the wick must have fallen farther into the vent.

When rolled tightly, the toilet paper wicks burn slowly, and inmates can use them as lighters.

The smoldering paper grew into a fire while it was in the air duct, causing smoke to spread into Leach’s cell and other cells nearby, police said.

Detectives also found a battery hidden under a mattress, pencils, fishing line and several feet of folded toilet paper in Leach’s cell, according to the complaint. Police said those materials could be used to create the wick.

Authorities reported damage to the walls and ceiling in Leach’s cell, as well as to parts of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Investigators ruled out any accidental causes.

A date for a preliminary hearing had not been set.

Leach was being held on charges from over the summer of illegally possessing a firearm. A non-jury trial had been scheduled to start next week but was continued to February.