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Virginia Beach man charged with arson after house fire

Posted at 2:42 PM, Sep 30, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-30 14:43:25-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A man has been charged with arson in connection with a fire in his own home.

Richard Butler

Around 4 p.m on September 28, the Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a residential fire in the 1400 block of Falkirk Court.

Light smoke was visible when firefighters got there but when they got in the home they discovered there was a working fire in the first floor living room of the two-story single family home.

Officials said the fire was knocked down quickly but added it caused heavy damage to the living room and only moderate smoke damage to the rest of the house.

The owner of the home, 74-year-old Richard Butler was taken to a local hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Butler was released from the hospital Sunday and moved to the Virginia Beach City Jail after being charged with threatening to burn and arson of an occupied dwelling in connection with the fire at his home, officials said.

Butler’s wife was home at the time of the fire but escaped uninjured. No firefighters were injured.