WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut man is accused of setting fire to the office of a storage center after being found living inside a storage unit he had rented.
Police charged Jacen Heslop, 32, with numerous crimes, including arson following the fire Tuesday at Self Storage in Waterbury.
Police told the Republican-American newspaper that Heslop was asked to leave last week by a manager after she discovered he had been living in his storage unit.
Heslop returned Tuesday afternoon with a sledge hammer and a can of gas, then used the hammer to smash open the gate, police said. He then broke windows at the center’s office, poured gasoline inside and lit the office on fire, police said.
The manager who was in an apartment attached to the office was able to escape, police said.
Heslop is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond Thursday. It was not clear if he has hired an attorney.
Firefighters said the blaze was contained to the office of the facility and nobody was injured.
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