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Man set his apartment on fire after fight with girlfriend, investigators say
A man set his own apartment on fire Sunday morning after suspecting his girlfriend, who also lived in the unit, of cheating on him, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit said the fire, which began around 6:45 a.m., was contained to the couple’s unit and caused about $25,000 in building damage at the Lakeview Apartments on 2401 South Lakeshore Boulevard, where a larger fire on Thursday burned a different building in the complex. Fire officials said Thursday’s accidental fire is unrelated to this one.
On Monday investigators charged Carlos Lara, 28, with arson, a first-degree felony, the affidavit said. He was not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, according to jail records.
A neighbor told Austin Fire Department investigators that Lara was upset that his girlfriend had not come home yet, and he told the neighbor to “take your kids and go. I’m about to set this place on fire,” the affidavit said.
Lara’s girlfriend told investigators that the two got into a fight Saturday and she was afraid to return to the home that day, the affidavit said. The girlfriend also told investigators that Lara called between 7 and 8 a.m. and said the apartment was on fire, the affidavit said.
The neighbor believed that Lara was drunk, so she did not take him seriously until she heard smoke detectors and sounds of an explosion from Lara’s apartment, the affidavit said.
