Vegas Fire Officials: Disgruntled Tenant Foiled In Attempt To Torch House After Being Told He Was Getting The Boot Because Landlord Was In Foreclosure

In Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports:

• A 40-year-old Las Vegas man who was angry about being evicted from a house going into foreclosure allegedly attempted to burn the home down Saturday, fire officials said. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said officials arrested James Edwards St. John in connection with attempted fourth-degree arson and booked him in the Clark County Detention Center.

• The situation unfolded Saturday afternoon at a home in the 6200 block of Garwood Ave. St. John's roommates called 911 when he began dousing a room of the house in gasoline, Szymanski said. Police arrived minutes later and detained St. John before he was able to light the fire, Szymanski said. No one was injured.

• St. John, who rented the house with several other people, had been notified by the owner that he needed to move out of the home because it was going into foreclosure, Szymanski said.

• Officials said St. John was apparently upset about the situation, which prompted him to attempt to set the home on fire. A fire investigator arrested St. John after questioning him at the scene, Szymanski said. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Source: Las Vegas man arrested for attempted arson.