Deal.
The article explaining the fire as an accident was a fake report in order to keep the truth concealed—you know, like how The Order always operates, the same way readers were led to believe Alessa died when she was really kept alive via an incantation.[u]Silent Hill Official Guidebook Complete Edition[/u] wrote:: What was the cause of the fire that broke out seven years ago?
A: A ritual that Dahlia performed using Alessa.
Dahlia originally thought that Alessa would follow in her own footsteps as a
spiritualistic medium for the cult, but realized that the ritual would be far
more likely to succeed if she used her as the surrogate mother to bring about
the descent of the cult's god. And so seven years ago, Dahlia performed the
technique to bring about the descent of the cult's god using Alessa in the cellar
of her own house. Although it seems the cult has a place they use for rituals,
Dahlia was confident that she would be able to summon the malevolent deity if
Alessa was the surrogate mother; therefore, as it was not necessary to choose a
location, she impulsively carried out the ritual in her own basement. The ritual
process involved a great deal of fire, which consequently escalated into a
conflagration. Incidentally, there is information in the game about "six houses
that burned down in the business district," but the actual site of the fire can't
be located on the business district map. It seems the houses were completely
torn down during those seven years.
