They say “no good deed goes unpunished,” and now one Mississippi man says he’s living proof that the saying can sometimes be true after a house guest set his home on fire twice in a single weekend. The homeowner shared his story, and his heartbreaking loss, with WLBT News on Monday, explaining how the man who had been staying at his home had started a fire on Saturday and then again on Sunday.
The guest was originally invited to stay after losing his own home when David Randall said the incident happened. Now, he’s left cleaning up the mess, and wondering what he will do now that his South Jackson home was completely destroyed.
And it’s not just the monetary losses that Randall says he’s mourning. Instead, it’s the loss of family heirlooms, which were the only things he had left of some of his loved ones.
Keep reading to learn how it all went down.
A Fight Broke Out Before the Fire
Randall told WLBT about the incident, saying that the first fire started in the early morning hours when seven people were hanging out in his home. He told the reporter that two of the guests got into a fight, prompting one of them to set the home ablaze.
The homeowner had been sleeping at the time, and he said he was alerted to the fire when the other guests started screaming. Randall initially tried to put the fire out, but he ultimately had to call 911. Jackson firefighters arrived at the house at 2 a.m. Saturday, according to WAPT News. They were able to extinguish that first blaze, but an incident the following day proved to be too much to contain.
While Randall doesn’t regret allowing someone to stay with him when they were down on their luck, he says he does regret who he invited into his home.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Intentionally Starting a Fire in Someone’s Home Is a Crime
This may turn into a cautionary tale for Randall, but it’s also a good reminder of the importance of homeowners insurance (HOI). According to the JSW Insurance blog, intentionally starting a fire in someone’s home is considered arson, which is a crime. Arson is not typically covered under most homeowners insurance policies.
That being said, JSW says that arson victims should reach out to their insurance company to discuss what happened so that you can figure out what your next steps should be. Hopefully Randall’s HOI company offers him some sort of financial help so that he can rebuild after losing everything.