Three elderly Centerville residents are recovering after a man they did not know entered their home, physically attacked them and set their house on fire during a home invasion Thursday afternoon, police said.
The 37-year-old man who was “believed to have been under the influence of controlled substances” carried a can of gasoline into the Centerville home at 2:41 p.m. Thursday, police said. He told the three residents he was going to burn the house down with them inside it.
The man then dumped the gasoline — throwing some of it on one of the victims — and started the fire, police said.
(Centerville Police Department) A home set on fire on Thursday afternoon is a total loss.
The gasoline thrown onto the victim did not ignite, according to police, but the house did. By the time police and firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.
The suspect punched two of the victims, causing what police described as not life-threatening injuries. Officers pulled the residents from the fire, and they were taken to a hospital for treatment.
After setting the fire, the suspect tried to steal the homeowners’ vehicle, but he was unsuccessful, according to police.
When officers arrived, the man was “hiding” inside the burning house, claiming he was armed with a knife. Officers shocked the man, whose name has not been released, with a stun gun and took him into custody.
Six Centerville police officers were treated and released for smoke inhalation, police said.
About a dozen nearby homes were evacuated as fire crews from South Davis, Farmington and Kaysville battled the house blaze. The victims’ house was destroyed, and two adjacent homes were slightly damaged by the flames and heat.
The suspect was admitted to a hospital for injuries caused by the fire, according to police.
“The Centerville Police Department extends our heartfelt thanks to the many outside police and fire agencies for their quick assistance on the call,” police said in a news release Thursday.
It’s unclear whether anything prompted the attack. Police continue to investigate.
(Centerville Police Department) A fire that destroyed a home on Thursday afternoon also damaged two other houses.
