TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A man intentionally lit a house on fire Wednesday morning while people were inside, and now faces an aggravated arson charge, according to the Topeka Fire Department.
Police took Austen Burris, 30, into custody and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. Fire investigators accused him of causing $1,000 in structural damage around 8:30 a.m. to a home at 229 SW Western Ave.
When firefighters were originally called to a morning report of a fire, they found smoke coming from the home on Western Avenue. They were able to put the fire out and kept it from spreading, and said the three people inside were able to get out safely.