Tuesday, January 26, 1999
Man charged with setting home on fire
He told story of family rescue
BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ST. BERNARD — A father who claimed to have saved his family from a burning home early Monday was arrested later in the day and charged with setting the fire that endangered his family and gutted their house.
Police charged Brian Howard, 28, of the 300 block of Bank Street with aggravated arson in the fire that caused $90,000 in damage. Fire officials consider the structure a total loss.
Police said Mr. Howard admitted starting the fire in the basement while his wife and four children were asleep upstairs. The wife told officials the second floor was filled with smoke when her husband woke her and told her of the fire, causing police to think the fire had been burning for some time.
When firefighters responded at 1:25 a.m., Mr. Howard told them he had noticed smoke in the register vents, woke his family and got them safely outside.
But later in day, he admitted starting the fire by setting a mattress on fire in the basement.
Fire investigators found several points of origin of the fire in the basement.
Mr. Howard, who was renting the house, recently was evicted in court for not paying rent, police said.
No one was injured in the fire.
The American Red Cross provided a hotel room for the family of six following the fire.
Walt Schaefer contributed to this report.
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