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Police: Arizona man set fire in apartment to force roommates out

AVONDALE, Ariz. — An Arizona man set a fire in his apartment to get his roommates to leave, according to police.

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Mario Delon Robinson, 47, was arrested Monday for arson of an occupied structure, KNXV-TV reported.

Police responded to a report of an apartment fire late Monday. One resident allegedly told police that Robinson, her roommate, started a fire in the kitchen.

Police said Robinson told them he was tired of his roommates verbally abusing him, so he set a roll of toilet paper on fire in the kitchen. He then put the burning toilet paper roll in a trash can, causing the fire to spread, police said.

Clothing inside the trash can extinguished the fire, according to police.

Robinson allegedly told police he started the fire to scare his roommates, hoping they would move out.

There were five people in the apartment at the time of the fire, including two children, police said.