Travis Lee Carlson, a 37-year-old Minnesota landlord, was having a blast by turning up the tunes and burning his place down. Unfortunately for the homeowner, first responders cut the party vibe short and he was later charged for purposely setting his apartment on fire while playing Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire” in the background.
Carlson now faces a first-degree arson charge after the fire fiasco. According to court documents, officers received a call to a residence on the 2400 block of West 4th Street in Duluth, Minnesota. When the firefighters arrived, they saw flames coming from the upstairs apartment, which belonged to Carlson.
Based on the police report, a tenant was interrupted from their sleep when Carlson was shattering the glass and breaking items. Shortly after, Carlson knocked on the tenant’s door and said that the building was on fire.
A neighbor called the cops after they witnessed Carlson, early morning, wearing a helmet and breaking his own windows. The neighbor also reported that they observed Carlson under his truck with gas cans. The witness saw the fire igniting from the upstairs apartment.
Beyond the song, there were other clues for the investigating officers that led them to arrest Carlson. Police officers discovered a hole drilled in the gas tank of Carlson’s truck. They found the drill and lids to gas cans beside the vehicle. The officers also saw traces from a “burned accelerant” and a few wires pulled out from the electrical panel.
Karma settled the scores as the hands that lit the fire got burned. Officials caught Carlson the next day with fresh burn injuries on his arms and legs.