LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man has been charged with arson after police say he admitted to setting a fire on the back deck of his home last week.
Edward W. Thomas Jr., 50, told police he started the fire because he believed there were people under the deck that were constantly trying to break into his home, according to a criminal complaint filed by Manheim Township Police.
The alleged incident occurred at 2:23 a.m. on Sunday, police said.
According to police, Thomas said he started the fire by lighting paper towels with a lighter and throwing them onto his deck.
He told police he tried to put the fire out, but it "went from zero to 60." He then went inside to alert another resident of the home to get them outside, he told police.
Officers observed soot on Thomas' hands and found a lighter and paper towels on the deck near where the fire began.
The fire was extinguished by members of the Manheim Township Fire Department, but not before several other townhomes were evacuated as a precaution, police said.
Earlier in the day, police said, Thomas was charged with filing a false report to police when he allegedly called to report someone had broken the windows of his home and that there were girls present who had hacked his phone.
Police responded and found no one present. While police were still observing the home, Thomas allegedly called again to report someone was actively breaking in, but there was no one there, according to police.
Thomas is charged with arson, risking a catastrophe, and recklessly endangering another person in connection to the fire.
