PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say alcohol caused a 19-year-old man from out of town to start a fire at a Washington State University fraternity house.
Pullman police used surveillance video and interviews with Theta Chi Fraternity members to arrest 19-year-old Isaac Scott DePaolo in Cheney, more than 60 miles north of the university campus.
He was jailed Monday on charges of arson and breaking into a vehicle to start the fire. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.
Firefighters were called about 5 a.m. Sunday to the blaze that destroyed the back deck.
There were also fires in front of the house, which was not damaged, and a nearby dumpster. No one was hurt.
DePaolo isn’t a Washington State University student and a motive hasn’t been determined, though police say alcohol was involved.
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