By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 30-year-old man who allegedly tried to end his life by setting a house on fire exited when it got too hot and was arrested for arson in rural Chehalis this weekend.
Deputies responding to the structure fire on the 100 block of Rogers Road at 6:49 p.m. on Saturday said the man and his two children were inside when he lit cardboard boxes, but then he put the kids in a vehicle a distance away from the house, before going back inside.
“He returned back into the home for an additional 10 to 15 minutes before it became too hot,” a deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Ashlynd Simper, 30, from Napavine, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree arson, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Neither Simper, nor his 9-year-old son or 6-year-old daughter were injured, according to the sheriff’s office.
Firefighters from Winlock joined crews from Lewis County Fire District 6 on the fully-involved structure fire approximately 6:52 p.m.
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said he understood Simper was staying in a nearby shop building, with permission, and the house that burned was vacant. The house is owned by a 70-year-old Chehalis man.
The sheriff’s office believes the two children were with Simper in the house when he started the fire and witnessed what he did. “Simper told the deputies he lit the fire intentionally to end his own life,” the deputy wrote.
Charges for reckless endangerment were forwarded to prosecutors as well, according to the sheriff’s office.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter