Man suspected of setting fire to Lawrenceville home he shared with girlfriend, children

PITTSBURGH — A man has been arrested on arson charges after investigators determined he set fire to a home in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood that he shared with his girlfriend and their children.

Jackiedaniels Stevens, 28, turned himself in to police Thursday night after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with Wednesday’s fire at the row house on Kent Way.

According to a criminal complaint, Stevens texted a picture of the fire to his girlfriend. She was not inside the home at the time, nor were their three children.

Flames had engulfed the row house by the time firefighters arrived to the scene Wednesday morning, and crews battled fires in two separate locations of the structure, police said. The fires were in a front room, as well as the rear kitchen.

A door to the home was found open and a stove had all gas burners in the on position, the complaint said. The fire in the front of the house, which originated on a mattress, spread to the second floor.

Arson investigators determined that both fires had been intentionally set.

The mattress caught fire after clothing and bedding were lit, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators believe clothes had been placed on the stove and doused with lighter fluid before it was set on fire.

In addition to arson charges, Stevens is charged with causing or risking catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person.

Cox Media Group