A South Lake Tahoe man is in custody after authorities say he intentionally set a fire inside a residence following a domestic violence incident early Thursday morning.
South Lake Tahoe dispatch received a 9-1-1 call reporting a possible structure fire on Treehaven Drive at approximately 4:45 a.m. on Jan. 22. South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and South Lake Tahoe Police responded to the scene and found the second story of a home fully engulfed in flames.
Fire crews from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, assisted by the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, extinguished the fire before it spread to nearby trees or neighboring homes. There are no injuries to residents or pets.
Fire investigators determined that the blaze was set intentionally during a domestic violence incident. The suspect, Jeremy Nichols from South Lake Tahoe, had fled the scene before officers arrived.
Investigators learned Nichols was staying in a hotel room at Harrah’s Casino. With assistance from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, authorities confirmed Nichols was inside the room but initially refused to exit.
A warrant for his arrest on charges including two counts of malicious arson to an inhabited structure and domestic battery was issued. Douglas County deputies later entered the hotel room and took Nichols into custody without incident.
He is in the Douglas County Jail, where he is being held without bail pending extradition to California.
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