Fort Myers police say a fire set outside an occupied home in the 100 block of Williams Street on Sunday night did significant damage to the exterior, and they arrested a 24-year-old man at the scene on a charge of first-degree arson

Fort Myers police say a fire that damaged the outside of an occupied home in the 100 block of Williams Street on Sunday night was set deliberately, and that they arrested a man at the scene.

According to the department, officers responded to a residential fire on Sunday night and, when they arrived, learned that the fire had been intentionally set outside the home while people were inside. The fire caused significant damage to the exterior of the house and damaged several items.

Police say they detained Mario Cabrera, 24, at the scene, and that during the investigation he made statements taking responsibility for starting the fire. He was arrested on a charge of first-degree arson. WINK News reports he was transported to the Lee County jail and booked there.

All of that is the police account. Mr Cabrera has been arrested and charged. He has not been tried, no plea is on the public record, and he is presumed innocent. Nothing here is a finding that he did what the department says he did.

The charge is a first-degree felony, and Florida's arson statute is the reason why. Section 806.01(1) makes it arson in the first degree to wilfully and unlawfully damage by fire or explosion any dwelling, whether occupied or not, or its contents. The same subsection reaches structures where people are normally present, and any other structure the person knew or had reasonable grounds to believe was occupied. So the grading follows what was burned rather than how badly it burned.

Two outlets carry the story and both cite the same Fort Myers Police release. Gulf Coast News published at 10.16 on Monday morning and WINK News at 10.32. Their accounts agree on the block, the intent alleged, the damage, the name, the age, the arrest at the scene and the charge.

This desk could not read the release itself. The Fort Myers police site carries no press or news page this desk could find, and the Lee County arrest search would not open from this machine. So the account above is at second hand, through two outlets that both cite the release, rather than from the document.

No injury is reported, and no fatality. The number of people inside the house is not on the record, nor is any account from them.