Intentional house fire in Amarillo

NewsChannel 10

Amarillo, Texas - One man is behind bars in connection with an arson in an Amarillo neighborhood over the weekend.

The fire on SE Pryor was set late Friday night... When officers arrived they say they found clear signs of arson. During this weekend's investigation, authorities arrested 24-year old Christopher Sustaita.

He has not yet been charged with arson, but he is facing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and theft. Investigators say more charges may be coming.

The fire did $75,000 worth of damage... Mostly to the inside of the house. Arsons make up about one-third of all fire investigations done by the Amarillo Fire Department... Some to cover another crime, some just because people like setting fires... Investigators have seen it all.

Fire Marshal Terry McKinney says, "Certainly insurance fraud type fires that people think of homeowners as setting. We certainly have a lot of spite and revenge type fire sets, where somebody is mad at somebody else and they decide they're gonna burn their stuff, or burn their home or their vehicle. There's a few vanity type fire-setters. They're just wanting some recognition."

The fire was set while the family was on vacation in California... They weren't supposed to come back until June 15th.