Northfield man jailed after allegedly torching his own house, vehicle

Updated: March 9, 2010 - 9:01 PM

A 43-year-old man said to be under a lot of stress was jailed after his house and three vehicles at City Hall burned.

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A 43-year-old Northfield man was jailed Tuesday after he allegedly set fire to his own house, then went to City Hall and burned three vehicles, including his own.

Northfield firefighters called at 5:30 a.m. to an explosion and house fire at 611 College St. found flames shooting from the back and upper floors of the house, and soon the whole structure was engulfed, said Fire Chief Gerry Franek.

He said a Rice County deputy was responding to the house fire when he spotted three vehicles ablaze in the Northfield City Hall parking lot at about 5:47 a.m. Police Chief Mark Taylor said the deputy saw a man, later identified as the 43-year-old man who lived alone in the burned home, running from the scene. He was arrested.

Taylor said an initial investigation revealed that the man, who is the listed owner of the house, intentionally burned it before driving his vehicle to city hall, where minutes later he set it on fire and the fire spread to two city maintenance vehicles. The heat blew out some city hall windows, Franek said. The house and the vehicles are considered total losses, Franek said, adding that no one was injured.

Franek said debris was blown 75 to 100 feet from the back of the house, making it appear that the fire there may have started with some sort of explosion. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The suspect was booked into the Rice County jail for suspicion of arson, and the case was referred to the county attorney's office. The state fire marshal's office also is investigating.

Taylor said the suspect told investigators he may have set the fires because he had problems and was under a lot of stress. He has no history with Northfield police.

ABBY SIMONS