Man Held in Arson of Kagel Canyon House
A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of setting fire to the home of an acquaintance who refused to lend him money, authorities said.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested Douglas Howell, 36, a transient from Tacoma, Wash., in the arson of a Kagel Canyon home rented by Robert Cawley, said Sgt. Stephen Keife.
The fire, which broke out about 4:30 a.m., caused an estimated $102,000 damage to the house in the 11300 block of Rayland Drive, authorities said.
Keife said Howell came to the home earlier that morning and demanded that Cawley give him $1,400 so Howell could pay a debt. When Cawley refused, the two began arguing.
Howell hit Cawley and threatened to destroy his house with dynamite, Keife said. A friend of Cawley’s who saw the fight took Cawley away to prevent more violence, Keife said. When Cawley returned home, he found it in flames.
It took firefighters about four hours to control the blaze.
About two hours after the fire was extinguished, Cawley saw Howell walking on Kagel Canyon Road, two miles from the house. Sheriff’s deputies arrested Howell about 10:45 a.m. He was in custody Sunday afternoon at the Cresenta Valley Sheriff’s station in lieu of $10,000 bail.
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