A Franklin woman has been arrested by the State Fire Marshal's Office for setting fire to a vacant home in Morgan City.
33-year-old Ashley Bourgeois was booked into the St. Mary Parish Jail on one count of Simple Arson and Criminal Trespass.
The minor fire happened on December 3 at a home in the 300 block of Lawrence Street in Morgan City.
The Fire Marshal's Office says they began their investigation into the origin and cause of the fire after receiving a request for assistance from the Morgan City Fire Department.
After assessing the scene, deputies say they determined the fire originated in a bedroom and was intentionally set.
Deputies say Bourgeois had been a squatter at the home and had been seen going in and out of the residence days prior to the fire.
Upon locating Bourgeois, she allegedly told deputies that she had set the fire to keep warm while staying in the home, but fled the house when the smoke became overwhelming.
Bourgeois was then placed under arrest.
