CEDAR CITY, Utah — A man who initially denied being involved in an early morning house fire in Cedar City was later arrested when surveillance video showed him purchasing fuel cans, and then twice buying fuel to fill them on Sunday.
Tyson Dean Hopkins, 38, was taken into custody and faces charges of Aggravated Arson following the early Sunday fire. During an interview with police, Hopkins allegedly claimed to have disclosed having other addresses that he was also going to burn down.
Crews and investigators were called to the original property of a trailer that was on fire just after 1 a.m.
"The supervisor noted some suspicious circumstances and statements made by the property resident, Tyson Hopkins, that warranted an investigator response," the police report stated.
After getting in touch with Hopkins, he told police that he was headed to Sanpete County and was filling up on fuel when he heard about the fire. When Hopkins showed up to the fire scene, he allegedly told police, "I wish you guys would just let it burn" and asked about the procedures and policies for the preservation of evidence.
Although Hopkins told officers that he hadn't been home in a "couple days," a
neighbor claimed Hopkins was home "off and on all day that day."
Hopkins was also allegedly "very eager to leave the scene," but originally denied any involvement with the fire.
A search warrant of Hopkins' vehicle found clean clothing and a stack of framed photos. After being taken to the police department, he was advised of his rights and claimed that he had stopped at a gas station to only buy cigarettes. However, security video showed Hopkins buying two fuel cans and filling them with fuel. A short time after leaving the station, he returned and bought more fuel for the cans, which were later determined to have been bought after 11 p.m. on Saturday.
After being confronted with the differences in his story, Hopkins admitted he had lied, saying he bought the fuel and took it home to light on fire with a pallet
"The fire initially didn't stay lit, so he went back to get more fuel and used it to light
the fire again with windows open for air flow," the police report stated, adding that Hopkins later left the scene.
A deputy state fire marshall sent to the scene to investigate said the "burn pattern inside the home was suspicious."
