Police arrest suspect for fire that collapsed house on SW Polk, spread to three others

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Topeka Fire officials say they arrested a man for arson in connection with a large fire Monday night in Central Topeka.

Nathaniel Stanton, 27, was booked on three counts of arson and one count of criminal trespass.

A thick plume of smoke from the scene at 710 SW Polk could be seen all the way from Hwy. 24 in North Topeka as fire crews responded just before 7 p.m.

Topeka Fire Marshal Alan Stahl tells 13 NEWS crews fought the fire from the outside, trying to keep it from spreading, but three structures on either side caught fire. Stahl said the house to the north suffered significant damage, and the Red Cross was assisting those residents. He said an apartment building and an apartment house suffered less serious damage.

Stahl says the original house has collapsed. He said firefighters received reports people may have been inside, however, at this point, it is believed no one was there at the time of the fire. He said no one was currently living in the house, but it was reported many people were in and out of the residence.

Stahl said witnesses reported seeing a man run from the burning house. He said investigators with Topeka Fire, Topeka Police and the State Fire Marshal’s Office quickly located the man, later identified as Stanton, and determined he was a person of interest. After questioning, he was arrested.

Fire officials say Stanton told them everyone made it out of the home before they arrived. TFD estimates $14,670 in damage, all structural in nature.

The call came just hours after Topeka Fire crews battled a blaze a few blocks away, at SW 12th and Polk. The home had caught fire several times before. Crews took a defensive approach to fight it due to the severity of the conditions.

The house at 710 SW Polk is the same home from which firefighters rescued a two-year-old who became trapped on the second floor during a fire in August 2020. The child survived, and the cause of that fire was determined to be accidental.

This is a developing situation. 13 NEWS will provide updates as information becomes available.

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