Man arrested after allegedly setting fire to Idaho Falls home
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IDAHO FALLS — Authorities arrested an Idaho Falls man for allegedly setting fire to the house he lived in Saturday evening.
Idaho Falls Police officers arrived at a home in Pinewood Estates on Whispering Pines Drive around 6 p.m. after Eli Lewis, 42, allegedly threatened to set the home on fire. According to an Idaho Falls Police Department news release, when police arrived smoke was coming from the mobile home.
Two police officers grabbed fire extinguishers and went to the front door where they saw black smoke and flames inside. Police feared Lewis may have been inside. However, neighbors told police they called Lewis on the phone and he said he was no longer inside. Lewis said he was not hurt, but would not come back to speak with the police, according to the release.
The Idaho Falls Fire Department arrived and put out the fire.
Inside the home, investigators found two bottles of lighter fluid, a small propane tank, a 5-gallon propane tank, charcoal, and other evidence indicating someone set the fire intentionally.
After the fire, police found Lewis on the 2000 block of Lincoln Road and arrested him for felony first-degree arson.
As of Monday afternoon, Lewis had not been officially charged in connection to the fire or appeared in court.