WEST VALLEY CITY – Investigators say a house fire that killed a 64 year-old woman was no accident.
Fire crews were called to the home at roughly 1 a.m. Once there, officials say flames fully engulfed the top floor of the house. West Valley Fire Marshal Joe White says they got even more bad news from people who escaped the house. White says, “There were reports of a person trapped inside. It was confirmed she was trapped inside, and she is deceased.”
The victim was later identified as Kathie Thomas. Investigators say they later learned who started the fire, and why. Police Spokesperson Roxeanna Vainuku says, “The adult daughter of the woman who died in that fire actually set the fire with the intent of killing her mother.”
Loralie Thomas, 46, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Four other people were inside the home when she reportedly ignited it. Vainuku says, “The adult daughter has been booked into jail on several charges, including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder for the people that were in the house at the time the fire was set, and aggravated arson for setting that fire.”
Fire crews have not released the exact method Thomas reportedly used when setting the house fire, but, an oven was removed from the home before the family was let back in.