Jack Prator
Tampa Bay Times
(TNS)
Hillsborough deputies have arrested a man they say intentionally started a house fire in Plant City early Wednesday, killing four people and three dogs.
Detectives learned Shawn Gossett, 25, a resident of the home, started the fire with the intent to burn the house down, the agency said in a news release.
Gossett has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder while engaged in arson, three counts of animal cruelty, and one count of arson of a dwelling.
Dispatchers with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue received a 911 call shortly after midnight from a homeowner reporting smoke and flames inside the home at 6655 S. County Line Road, according to a news release from the department.
The person said three adults and five dogs were trapped.
Firefighters arrived about eight minutes after being dispatched and worked to put out the blaze, fire rescue officials said. About five minutes after the first engine’s arrival, crews removed three people from the home through a bedroom window, then brought the fire under control within 20 minutes.
“The three, from what we understand, were kind of clustered together,” said Danny Alvarez, a spokesperson for the fire department.
Once the fire was contained, a fourth person was found dead in a separate wing of the home, he said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Medical Examiner’s Office and Fire Rescue to identify the victims.
“This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. “I want to commend our detectives and our partners at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for their swift actions which resulted in the arrest of this individual and their relentless efforts to ensure justice is served.”
Property records show the main building on the 3.85-acre property is a two-bedroom manufactured home built in 1994. Edison Arias bought the property in 2020.
Arias declined to comment when reached Wednesday morning before the sheriff’s office announced Gossett’s arrest.
This is a breaking news story. Check tampabay.com for updates. Times staff writer Tony Marrero contributed to this report.
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