A fire that was discovered about 7:40 a.m. on Feb. 6 at 7376 Yellow Creek Dr. was the result of arson, Fire Chief George Brown told Township Trustees in remarks last week at their regular bi-monthly meeting.
      The blaze caused an estimated $75,000 damage to the single family home that was vacant and in foreclosure.
      The residence had been the home of Antoniano DelSignore, 35, an exercise physiologist, and his wife, Jill, 36. They were involved in a divorce hearing in Aug., 2013. Court records list Antoniano’s address at 10693 Rapp Rd., New Middletown; and show Jill resides on Hamilton Ave., Poland.
      According to a police report filed Feb. 6 by Ptl. Michael Salser, the fire was first discovered by a neighbor, Anthony DiBenedotto.
      Poland police and fire units first arrived at the fire and reported a rear door to the home had been forced open.
      When emergency units arrived, “fire was observed coming from the rear of the house and in the basement,” a report authorized by Boardman Assistant Fire Chief Don Kloes said, concluding “the fire originated in the basement and the cause was intentional.”
      Officer Salser also reported that footprints were located in the snow, leading from the rear door of the home on fire, through a back yard, and to the driveway next door.
      14 Boardman firemen answered the call on the fire near 7:45 a.m. Last BFD unit cleared the scene at 1:25 p.m.
      According to Mahoning County Court records, the home at 7376 Yellow Creek Dr. is the subject of a foreclosure action filed by Wells Fargo Bank, that claimed an unpaid note of $142,013.62. The home was purchased in Sept., 2010. Foreclosure had been filed in Dec., 2013 and the home was to be offered at a foreclosure sale on Mar. 4, 2014.
      Antoniano and Jill DelSignore are the subjects of a divorce action filed in July, 2013; and its docket, to date, contains 74 entries. That case is still open, court records show.