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Man charged in weekend arson at former nightclub
A man has been charged with arson after police said he started a small fire inside the vacant downtown building once home to Charlie’s Austin Nightclub.
Garrett Block, 20, is in the Travis County Jail with bail set at $5,000.
Authorities responded to a call for a fire about 10 p.m. Saturday and found light smoke and a smoldering area on the floor in front of the stage of the nightclub at 1301 block Lavaca St., according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Block initially told investigators he had been looking for a warm place to sleep when he heard the fire alarm and saw the flames, the affidavit said. He told police he put the fire out, but later admitted he started the blaze for warmth and put it out once it begun to spread, the record said.
Damage to the floor was estimated at $1,000, according to court records.
