"Me! Me! I set it on fire."
That's what a man told a WJLA news crew covering a house fire in Rockville, Md. on Wednesday.
The man, who identified himself as Carlos, was calm as he answered the crew's follow-up questions.
Here's the exchange that was recorded:
Question #1: "How did you do it?"
"I just poured gasoline on the floor, set it on fire, went to grab a drink, and came back," "Carlos" remarked without batting an eye.
Question #2: "How did setting this fire help you?"
"Just so you [the media] could get here … for your attention," "Carlos" added.
The self-proclaimed arsonist went on to describe, what he considered to be, deplorable living conditions inside the home he says he torched. Police say "Carlos" was one of six people living inside the two-story structure.
Question #3: "Why didn't you report the alleged deplorable conditions to police first?"
"I did. I did," "Carlos" replied, adding no one took his complaints seriously."
After the interview, he walked up to two Rockville police officers and told them:
"I set the house on fire."
He was promptly cuffed by the stunned officers, the reporters noted.
A neighbor, Linda Ekizian told the crew: "I'm just thinking about all of the firefighters whose lives were put in jeopardy because of this. There's no excuse for it, none at all."
