70-year-old sets couch, curtains on fire at assisted living facility, Virginia cops say
A 70-year-old woman is accused of starting a fire that prompted the evacuation of an assisted living facility in Virginia, fire officials said.
The woman was arrested and charged with arson after authorities said she admitted to setting fire to a couch and curtains inside the facility’s recreation room on Monday, Oct. 10, according to the City of Suffolk Department of Fire & Rescue.
She also faces charges including:
- Destruction of property
- Disorderly conduct
- Resisting arrest
Crews were called to the facility just after 1:30 p.m. for a report of a commercial fire, officials wrote in a news release. They arrived to find the facility empty with “moderate smoke inside the business.”
“The fire was extinguished and smoke was removed from the recreational area, the dining room, and two residential halls,” the fire department wrote.
An investigation determined the blaze was started in the rec room and the woman was later arrested, according to officials. Authorities did not say if she is a resident at the facility and no motive was given.
McClatchy News reached out to the fire department on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and was awaiting a response.
No one was injured in the incident.
The woman was booked into the Western Tidewater Regional Jail, where she remained as of Wednesday, online records show.
Suffolk is about 20 miles southwest of Norfolk.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 3:37 PM with the headline "70-year-old sets couch, curtains on fire at assisted living facility, Virginia cops say."