‘He put the bathroom on fire!’ 1 accused of arson after Washington Twp. apartment fire

WASHINGTON TWP. — A person is in custody and another is hospitalized after an apartment fire in Washington Township Wednesday night.

>>PHOTOS: Suspect in custody after Washington Twp. fire; 1 taken to hospital

Washington Township firefighters were dispatched around 6:20 p.m. to the 8200 block of Hyannis Port Drive on initial reports of a fire, according to a township spokesperson.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the 32-unit apartment complex with several people trapped on their balconies, as reported Wednesday night on News Center 7 at 11 p.m.

A neighbor was home when the fire started.

He told News Center 7 that he had to hold his breath while getting out of the building.

“I was pretty concerned,” said Tod Kinderdine. “Yeah, I don’t know how long it was burning. (It) was before I heard anyone or saw anything. So, with how bad it looks to me, I’m glad it’s not as bad as it could be.”

A man has been booked on an aggravated arson charge, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Medics transported a person to the hospital for breathing in smoke.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect in custody after Washington Twp. fire; 1 taken to hospital

A female 911 caller told dispatchers that her brother was schizophrenic and used a screwdriver to hit their mother.

A couple of minutes later, she said her brother set the bathroom on fire.

>>RELATED: Everything is on fire;’ 911 caller says brother set apartment on fire with her, mom inside

“The house is on fire!” she told dispatchers. “He put the bathroom or something on fire!”

“What did you say?” the dispatcher asked.

“He put the bathroom on fire!” the caller said.

Toward the end of the call, the woman told dispatchers that firefighters had gotten her out of the building.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Hyannis Port Drive Fire

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