A gas can gave investigators all the proof they needed that a Tuesday morning Seminole County house fire was set on purpose. Now they're looking for the arsonist who destroyed a young couple's home on Delfino Place near Old Lake Mary Road.
"Lost everything, my work, my cats, all because somebody wanted to set my place on fire," victim Bryan Edwards said.
He can barely find the words to describe his loss. His home is in shambles and at least three of his four cats are dead. The fourth is nowhere to be found. A lifetime of memories was destroyed, investigators said, because someone torched his house.
At around two o'clock Tuesday morning, the next door neighbor heard a crashing sound and emerged to find a gas container on fire in between the buildings, as smoke billowed from his neighbor's house.
Investigators said it was immediately clear someone had broken into the house, splashed the gasoline throughout and set it ablaze. Fortunately for Edwards, he wasn't home, but his pets, to him his children, are gone.
Edwards, who is self-employed and works at home, wasn't feeling terribly lucky, despite avoiding injury. He said he can't imagine why anyone would want to cause him such pain.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing someone running away from the scene and a suspicious car driving away, but there was no usable description of either.
Investigators are hoping someone saw something that can help them.
Meanwhile, the hunt is still on for Edwards' fourth cat. Firefighters said it is possible the cat escaped and is roaming the neighborhood.
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