Fatal Arson Blaze Started With Lit Bottle Of Sanitizer

HARTFORD, CT — A fire at a Hartford apartment building early Sunday killed a man and wounded 31 others. Destiny Waite, 28, who is facing charges in connection with the three-alarm blaze, NBC CT reported.

The fire broke out at 1:19 a.m. Sunday at the Charter Oak Place Building. Seventy-five firefighters came to the scene to to help those in the building, including a baby boy and his mother who came down from a third-floor apartment window, according to NBC CT.

One resident died in the fire, Jerome Kyser, 50. There were reports of babies being thrown from windows to safety and one firefighter was injured, WFSB 3 TV reports.

Police said that the fire started when Waite threw a lit bottle of hand sanitizer at her girlfriend, FOX 61 reported. The incident began with a domestic fight between Waite and her girlfriend. She then threw the lit bottle of sanitizer and the fire spread through the building.

More than 40 people were rescued from the 70-unit, 5-story building, and 31 people were transported to hospitals, WTNH reported. Mayor Luke Bronin said several of those victims were seriously injured.

"Our firefighters and police officers heroically pulled many people from the building on Charter Oak Place, and there is no doubt they saved many lives," Bronin said, according to WFSB 3 TV.

Waite escaped the fire uninjured and was considered a person of interest in the investigation early on. Investigators located her in the Frog Hollow neighborhood several hours after the fire, according to WTNH.

She was held on $900,000 bond and was arraigned today on charges including arson, criminal attempt at murder, and multiple counts of assault.