Homeowner charged with arson after claiming God told him to set home on fire

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. (WXIX) - The owner of a home that caught fire early Tuesday is now charged with arson, a news release from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said.

Firefighters were called to the house in the 2100 block of North Bend Road around 3:15 am.

Officials with the sheriff’s office say Charles Mullins, 65, admitted to starting the fire by turning on the stove’s gas burners and then pouring gasoline around the house.

The news release says the homeowner then lit a piece of paper on fire and dropped it on the gas.

Mullins said God told him to start the fire and then leave Kentucky, according to the sheriff’s office.

No injuries were reported.

Mullins is being held in the Boone County Detention Center on a $25,000 bond.