Couple says they're homeless after man set Jacksonville home on fire

A couple said they are now homeless after a man set their Jacksonville home on fire on Thursday.

They didn’t want to show their faces on camera but wanted to share their story.

“Our son started screaming, 'Our house is on fire. Our house is on fire. Get out!'” the couple told Action News Jax.

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office police report detailed the fire that broke out Thursday morning on Gailwood Circle.

The report said a man named Brandon Houston came to the house and began arguing with the couple.

“Talking about we were worthless, he would burn our house down, kill our dogs,” the couple said.

The couple said they called police after the man refused to leave their property.

Houston was cited for trespassing, but police said he came back later.

The report said a nearby Marathon gas station’s surveillance video shows Houston buying two cups of gasoline.

The report goes on to say a witness spoke with Houston shortly before the blaze, and Houston said he was “going to set a house on fire.”

According to JSO, Houston set fire to a couch on the home's front porch and then ran.

“He threatened to burn our house down. An hour and a half later, our house went up in flames," the couple said.

Houston was arrested on arson charges.

The couple said they did not have insurance and are now homeless.

Cox Media Group