Jacksonville deputies arrested 47-year-old William Baker on Sunday morning for arson after a house fire in the Brooklyn neighborhood near Riverside Avenue.
Witnesses provided matching descriptions of a man seen near the vacant home as it burned. Officers spotted Baker walking away from the scene, covered in soot and ash.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue crews quickly extinguished the blaze. Investigators determined Baker had likely been attempting to squat in the house and found evidence he had purchased gasoline from a nearby gas station before setting the fire.
Baker, described as a transient in the area, was accompanied by two dogs that appeared to have sustained injuries from the incident.
Baker, who has been arrested three times in the past month, is now in Duval County Jail, charged with arson, a first-degree felony.
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