East Haven police have arrested a man who is accused of intentionally setting a fire at his former home on Friday.
The East Haven Public Safety Dispatch Center received a 911 call from someone saying she had just returned to her foreclosed property on Henry Street and could smell smoke. She said she could also hear the smoke detectors going off.
When firefighters arrived, they said they found a fire contained to a pile of combustible material in a back bedroom that contained no furniture. The fire was contained within minutes of firefighters arriving.
According to officials, even though the house was in the process of foreclosure, it still had people living there.
Investigators said they determined that a former resident of the home, later identified as 26-year-old Joshua Miller, intentionally set the fire after getting some personal belongings from the home.
Miller told investigators that while at the house, he became emotional about losing the house to the bank and threw a lit cigarette near a towel, which caused the fire, authorities said. He then said he walked out of the house and locked the front door.
After he locked the door, Miller then drove to the center of East Haven, where his mother was, picked her up at a doctor's office and reported the fire to her. She then responded to the home, called 911, smelled smoke and could hear smoke detectors when she arrived, according to police.
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Miller was placed under arrest and is facing charges including arson, criminal mischief and falsely reporting. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on January 15.
