Lakeland -Man, charged with house fire, as almost five killed

Lakeland, Florida (WWSB) – A man from Lakeland faces an arson and five charges for attempted murder after the investigators claimed that he set a house on fire after being driven out while his roommates slept inside.

The fire on May 20 before dawn began in a house on Dawn Heights Drive, the office of the Sheriff from Polk County said.

At that time there were five people in the house. Two serious injuries suffered.

The investigators provided the events that led to the fire of eyewitnesses, as in a press release:

Around 3:15 a.m., Eddie Thomas, 69, entered the bedroom of another resident and asked for one trip. When the request was rejected, he asked for sweater cables to “give him a jump”.

The victim declined due to the time and found that Thomas held a plastic milk jug with an unknown liquid.

Shortly after Thomas left the room, the victim said that he smelled petrol and then heard a “boom”. He opened his bedroom door to find flames in the hallway.

He uses a hiker and when he tried to reach the front door, he fell and had to crawl to get out of the house, burning on the hand and feet.

Another resident said he had climbed to the toilet and watched Thomas walked through the house. He said he heard injection noise, smelled kerosene and then heard a sound that was similar to a fire.

Then he heard someone screaming, the “fire!” Scream! And left his bedroom, but couldn't see the front door because of smoke. When he ran, he fell. Outside the house, he watched a fire lane that went from an oak to the front yard and led directly into the house.

Other victims told the MPs that they had either fled the windows or stumbled to others to escape the house.

State Fire Marshal Investigators and their dogs discovered six accelerating alarm points in and identified two cast patterns, according to the press release.

Two of the victims experienced how Thomas pulled out of the yard in his red Chevrolet truck and flee in front of the scene.

The landlord told the MPs that Thomas had lived in the house without any problems since 2023. Due to the persistent disputes and the non -payment of the rent, he was sent a clearing announcement, which had to clear up until May 20.

The house was declared a total loss.

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