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Police believe man set his home on fire

RENTON, Wash. — Fire investigators spent hours at the scene of a fire in Renton Tuesday night after police believe the house was deliberately set on fire by the man who lived there.

From Chopper 7, the flames and smoke could be seen enveloping the home on Talbot Road South.

“Smoke is coming out! And I’m saying, ‘Oh my god, the house is on fire, you know?’” one neighbor, who declined to give her name, said.

“When it’s coming out the upstairs and downstairs out of doors and windows, I mean I knew the house was toast,” Terry, a neighbor who declined to give his last name said.

Investigators finished picking through the remnants of the home just after 9 p.m., trying to figure out where and how the fire started. But it’s what led up to it that has the man who lived there in jail.

Neighbors said on Sunday night, they heard gunshots.

Then police said Tuesday morning they served a domestic violence protection order to that man. The woman living with him called police shortly after, so they would be there when she came to remove some belongings.

But when police arrived, a little after one p.m., the house was burning. Firefighters said officers warned them an armed man might be inside.

Firefighters stayed back in a defensive position to keep themselves and other homes and neighbors safe, it was clear no one was inside. The fire burned through most of the home.

Police said around that time, the man returned to the scene and they arrested him.

KIRO 7 checked property records and found a man named Patrick Potter listed at the address. On Tuesday night, Potter was also listed at the King County Jail under investigation of arson. He is expected in court on Wednesday.

Fire investigators said they plan to interview some of the neighbors and review evidence. They said it may take a few days before they release findings.