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Left: Tylor A. Burghoff (Jackson County Detention Center). Right: The house in Independence, Mo., that was damaged by a fire on Nov. 20 (Independence Fire Department).
A Missouri man has been charged with arson after witnesses reported seeing him “watching” and “laughing” as a house went up in flames.
The Independence Fire Department announced via Facebook that firefighters were called to a house fire on the morning of November 20. Fortunately, no one inside the house was injured, and an investigation into the fire is underway. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, 35-year-old Tylor A. Burghoff was apprehended by the Independence Police Department just a couple of blocks from the scene. This arrest followed a witness report of a man fitting Burghoff’s description “watching the fire and laughing.”
Upon detaining Burghoff, officers discovered two lighters in his pants pockets. He was taken to the police station, read his rights, and subsequently questioned by detectives. During the interrogation, Burghoff denied both his presence at the house and any involvement in the blaze.
The affidavit includes statements from multiple witnesses placing Burghoff at the scene, including two individuals who were inside the house during the incident. The homeowner, one of these witnesses, told police she recognized Burghoff and saw him outside her home that morning, “yelling and laughing.”
Another witness inside the house reported seeing Burghoff on the porch with what appeared to be a blue metal can, possibly a gas can. She mentioned that he was “knocking on the door,” but no one allowed him entry. Despite his yelling, she did not witness him starting the fire.
Two additional individuals who were asleep inside the home at the time did not see the events leading up to the fire.
Despite being told that multiple people saw him at the home that morning, Burghoff still denied that he was there.
None of the occupants were injured in the fire, and the inside of the house did not have any fire damage, according to police.
Burghoff was charged with arson and booked into the Jackson County Detention Center. He is being held on $30,000 bond. His next court dates are a bond hearing on Tuesday and a preliminary hearing on Dec. 18.
