MUSKEGON, Mich. — A fire in Muskegon Thursday morning was intentionally set with people still inside, according to investigators. Now one woman is under arrest.
The fire started around 5:20 a.m. on Mcilwraith Street near East Laketon Avenue. Firefighters found the home fully involved in fire. Crews were able to knock the flames out, but the house was heavily damaged.
At least one other home was damaged by the fire.
Thankfully everyone inside the house escaped without any injuries.
FOX 17 obtained video from an eyewitness of the scene just before firefighters arrived. Watch that video below.
“I just passed it on Laketon and I see flames,” said witness Monica Tate.
She was on her way to work when she saw a house on fire.
“My biggest concern was anyone in their house, and then I noticed that everyone was out the house, so I was at peace,” said Tate.
After calling 911, she saw a lady standing outside.
Tate said, “She was on the corner with a suitcase with two little young children, and they were very... they were frantic.”
When she approached, the woman said that she started the fire.
“Saying that she set the house on fire intentionally, that she's tired of her boyfriend mess, sick of him. She's like, 'Yeah, I did it,'” said Tate.
Investigators from the Muskegon Police Department and the Muskegon Fire Department determined the fire was intentionally set. Officers took a 45-year-old woman into custody in connection to the fire.
The reason the woman allegedly set the fire stemmed from a dispute between the homeowner and the suspect, according to police.
“Thank God that the babies thought enough to call their dad. You know, they was like, 'You know, she's kicking out windows and everything.' So, he said, by the time he got here, it was too late; the house was in flames,” said Tate.
It is not immediately clear what charges the woman could face.
Anyone with additional information on the fire is asked to contact the Muskegon Police Department at (231) 724-6750. Tips can be anonymously submitted through Silent Observer at (231) 722-7463.
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