SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man is facing a first-degree arson charge after police say he intentionally started a fire inside a fourth-floor apartment early Tuesday, displacing 11 residents.
Andrew E. Gale, 36, was arrested after exiting the burning apartment at the Grand Coulee Apartments, according to the Spokane Police Department.
According to court documents, Gale told officers that intruders were trying to kill him, and he had set a pile of clothing on fire to defend himself. Gale’s girlfriend told the police that she didn’t see anyone else and that Gale was throwing fireworks inside.
Officers and firefighters also found no one else inside the unit. Police said Gale had two lighters with him when he was arrested.
Officers were called to the apartment complex around 1 a.m. after 911 callers reported a man yelling inside a fourth-floor unit. When officers arrived, they saw smoke and called firefighters.
Police evacuated residents as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. Despite a report of a possible firearm inside the apartment, fire crews continued operations because of the immediate threat to life.
Firefighters used an aerial ladder to reach the fourth floor, extinguished the flames and searched the remaining units.
Two people were evaluated at the scene — one for smoke inhalation and another for injuries from a fall. Neither required hospitalization.
Gale is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $30,000 bond. Court Commissioner Kevin Stewart cited community safety concerns while setting bail, saying the allegations were “extremely serious in nature.”
“It’s scary. Have no clue what’s gonna happen, especially when you’re sleeping at night,” resident Aaron Boyd said.
The apartment complex said it is helping residents affected by the fire and has cleanup crews working at the building. Gale’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.
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