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BOUNTIFUL — A man was arrested Saturday after authorities say he intentionally started a fire at a low-income apartment complex for people with disabilities, according to a police report.
Ron Makin, 50, and a resident of the apartment complex, was arrested on a suspicion of aggravated arson, according to Davis County Jail records.
Emergency crews responded to a report of a fire at Meadows West, 285 E. 1450 North, shortly before midnight Saturday night, according to a statement by Bountiful Police Lt. Dave Edwards.
Edwards said firefighters found a carpet on the second floor on fire when they arrived and two residents used fire extinguishers to try an put out the flames before the fire was put out.
One resident was taken to a hospital with minor injuries in connection with the fire, Edwards added.
Investigators determined the fire was caused by arson and started by an undetermined flammable liquid in the second-floor hallway. The liquid appeared to be poured down a flight of stairs leading to a fire exit, according to a jail report.
When crews arrived on the scene of the fire, they found a man “who was attempting to be helpful and engage in conversation with emergency personnel.” The man was later identified as Makin.
Firefighters, however, noticed an apparent gas can on the bed of Makin’s pickup truck and alerted Bountiful police, the report stated. It said Makin’s comments to police of how he obtained the gas can and his actions prior to emergency crews responding “were inconsistent and didn't make sense.”
Makin told police that he was given a two-gallon water jug while at a gas station earlier in the week and was asked to hang onto the jug of gas, the report stated.
Investigators reviewed security video and saw Makin enter the hallway through the building’s main entrance and not exit through the same door. Makin told authorities he went to take a bag of garbage out to a dumpster, but police said there was no garbage bag seen in the video, according to the report.
Authorities also found a lighter in Makin’s pocket, the report added. Makin was then arrested and booked into the Davis County Jail.
Bail was set at $150,000, according to jail records. Court records show Makin has a history of misdemeanor citations and traffic violations in the state, but no felony arrests or convictions.
Edwards said the fire caused $100,000 in damage.
