AVONDALE, AZ — Police have accused an Avondale man of setting his apartment on fire to get rid of his roommates.
Police say they responded to an apartment fire near Dysart Road and Van Buren Street late Monday night.
One resident reportedly told police that her roommate, 47-year-old Mario Delon Robinson, set the kitchen on fire.
Inside the home, officers found Robinson mopping the kitchen floor while a cloud of smoke gathered in the kitchen and living room.
Robinson reportedly told police he was tired of his roommates verbally abusing him, so he set a toilet paper roll on fire in the kitchen.
Robinson then took the lit toilet paper roll and placed it in a garbage can along with a pile of clothes to create a larger fire, according to police.
However, police say, the clothing inside the garbage can put out the flames.
Robinson later admitted to starting the fire saying he wanted to scare his roommates so they would move out of the home.
Police say there were five victims in the home at the time, including two children.
Robinson was arrested for arson of an occupied structure.
