By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Monday, August 30, 2010
SEFFNER — A Seffner man is accused of starting an early Sunday blaze that caused heavy damage to a mobile home and killed a cat.
Todd Knighten, 32, was arrested Sunday afternoon after State Fire Marshall's Office linked him the type of accelerant used in the fire at a 5212 Contata Court mobile home.
Knighten faces charges for arson, burglary and animal cruelty. He was being held at the Hillsborough County Jail. His bail amount was pending.
Another cat and two dogs were in the home at the time of the blaze, but survived.
Hillsborough County Animal Services took custody of the three animals.
Fire crews got the call around 5:45 a.m. Sunday, said Ray Yeakley, a spokesman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
The front and back bedrooms sustained the heaviest damage and the home was likely a total loss, he said.
The mobile home's owner, Charles Lull, 46, was in Michigan at the time of the fire. His home was being watched by a neighbor, Yeakley said.
According to Yeakley, a neighbor said the home had been broken into the previous week, but no one called the police.
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