Man Accused of Starting Fire in Tampa High-Rise Apartment

A 21-year-old Tampa man’s disdain for his neighbor took a decidedly unusual turn Sunday morning when authorities say he broke into the man’s 30th story home in the Element luxury high-rise apartments.

The incident began to unfold shortly before 8:45 a.m. at 808 N. Franklin St. when Tampa Fire Rescue received a call about a man trapped on the balcony of his own apartment. When fire crews arrived, they smelled smoke but found no flames, an email to media from the agency stated.

The fire marshal was called in to investigate and discovered that a neighbor had broken into the victim’s apartment, threatened its owner and forced him to take refuge on the balcony. The victim watched as the neighbor took his wallet, put it in the microwave and turned it on. The man is also accused of piling the victim’s lighter collection next to a small electric heater and then turning it on.

Mohammed Almarri was ultimately charged with first-degree arson, among other charges, fire officials reported.

While the victim was uninjured, the apartment and its contents suffered an estimated $1,000 in damage.

Image via Shutterstock

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