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Florida Man's Alleged Arson Attempt Backfires, Literally, As He Sets Himself Ablaze
Scott Massa, 51, was allegedly attempting to light a house on fire when the accelerant "exploded" and he found himself in flames instead, according to authorities in Tampa.
A Florida man set himself on fire over the weekend in an alleged attempt at arson gone terribly wrong.
Scott Massa, 51, was in the hospital as of Sunday to have his injuries treated, the Tampa Police Department said in a recently issued news release. Officers, along with firefighters with Tampa Fire Rescue, were called to a private residence on West DeLeon Street just before 6 a.m. in response to reports of a fire; upon their arrival, they found Massa at the scene and determined that he was responsible for an arson attempt, authorities said.
Massa allegedly had first broken a window at the home before trying to toss a bucket of accelerant into the house, the release states. However, Massa’s plan backfired quite literally when the accelerant “exploded” and he found himself on fire, police said. Still, he was able to flee the scene and drive away in his car, but authorities later located him at St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was seeking treatment for his injuries. He was detained for the crime, but is currently still undergoing treatment at Tampa General Hospital’s burn unit for the serious injuries he sustained during the alleged arson attempt.
Massa failed to set the house on fire and he was the only person injured due to the incident, according to the police. While some outlets have reported that the house Massa allegedly set fire to was his own, that could not immediately be verified. Additionally, jail records list his residence as being a different address than the site of the fire attempt.
Police have not yet released a motive as to why Massa allegedly attempted to set the house on fire, and were still in the process of determining, as of Sunday, what charges Massa would face. The Tampa Police Department told Oxygen.com the investigation remains active, but had no further comment on the case.
Prior to the arson attempt, Massa was arrested in late December for possessing a firearm as a felon, online jail records show. He was released a few days later.
