CONCORD TWP — A township man is accused of deliberately setting a fire at his house to get his wife back home following an argument.

State police said Ian L. Manuel, 24, confessed to using a cigarette lighter and a piece of newspaper to start the fire last week at the double-wide manufactured home on Route 38 in Concord Township.

Manuel, accompanied by his father, turned himself in on charges Wednesday at the office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora.

He was arraigned on felony counts of arson, causing or risking a catastrophe, possession of an incendiary or explosive device and criminal mischief. He was released on his own recognizance.

Police said Manuel called 911 around 12:15 a.m. July 14 to report that his house was on fire. He was alone at the time.

Petrolia Fire Chief Chuck Barnes was first to get there, and he discovered the fire in a back room used as an office, according to investigators.

The fire was extinguished and largely contained to that room, Trooper DuWayne Baird, deputy fire marshal, said Wednesday. Damage was estimated at $40,000.

Baird began his investigation about two hours after the fire call. He later spoke to Manuel at the scene.

He told police that he and his wife had lived there for six or seven months. They purchased the house for about $44,000, and they had insurance on the property.

Manuel provided an account of what occurred, but Baird said the story did not mesh with his initial findings.

The trooper said he continued to question Manuel, who eventually “dropped his head” and acknowledged that he “wanted to be honest with me.”

Manuel waived his Miranda rights and gave a detailed confession, police said.

He said that before the fire, he had gotten into an argument with his wife. She left and took their infant son.

“(Manuel) felt that he needed to find a way to get her back,” according to charging documents, “because he thought she was going to be leaving him.”

Police said Manuel admitted he made a stupid decision.

Manuel recounted that he lit newspaper with a lighter and dropped it into a plastic garbage can in the home's office, Baird said.

He left the house and got his dog out when the fire alarms went off, and he called 911. Afterward, he also threw the lighter across the road.

Police later looked for, but could not find the lighter.

Manuel's account, Baird said, was corroborated by the evidence. The trooper also believed the Manuel's intent was to destroy the house.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27. Manuel's attorney, Michael Jewart, did not immediately return a telephone call.