Trending Topics

Arsonist tries to cut firefighters’ water supply

The man tried to shut off their hoses as they worked to douse the fire he started; he was forcibly detained by firefighters and a police officer

Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas man confronted firefighters then tried to shut off their hoses as responders doused a blaze they say he started in a central valley home.

Jose Luis Arencibia-Ramirez, 43, was arrested Wednesday and faces one count each of first and third-degree arson after setting fire to a home in the 1200 block of Phillips Avenue, the Las Vegas Fire Department said Thursday.

The department responded to a call about the fire at 2:11 p.m. Wednesday, spokesman Tim Szymanski said. When first responders arrived, Arencibia-Ramirez was standing in the backyard of the home, where he later told police he had started a fire using a lit cigarette and “combustible materials.”

Full story: Man facing arson charges tried to block firefighters from dousing, department says