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New Iberia man arrested, accused of setting son’s trailer on fire

Posted at 5:48 PM, May 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-30 18:48:07-04

The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal has arrested a New Iberia man for allegedly setting a fire inside of his son’s trailer.

Officials say that 56-year-old Dennis Porrier Sr. was booked into the Iberia Parish Jail Tuesday, May 29, 2018, on one count of simple arson.

The OSFM was contacted earlier in the morning, around 6:30 a.m., by Iberia Fire District #1 to assist in determining the origin and cause of a fire at a home in the 5400 block of Bull Island Road in New Iberia.

The suspect’s son, according to OSFM,  told investigators when he woke up to go to work the evening prior, his father had made a comment about setting the house on fire. The son noted Porrier Sr. has a mental illness.

Upon the son’s return from work, he told investigators he saw flames and smoke coming from his trailer with his father standing in the front yard holding a gas can.

The son told investigators he was able to enter the trailer and stomp out the fire located in the entryway. The exterior of the trailer was also damaged.

The Fire Marshal’s Office says that in an interview, Porrier Sr. admitted to setting several areas of the trailer on fire using gasoline. He was then placed under arrest.