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Deputies: Kentucky man who torched home says God told him to do it

HEBRON, Ky. — A Kentucky man accused of setting his home on fire said God told him to do it, authorities said.

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Charles Mullins, 65, of Hebron, was charged with one count of arson in the third degree, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The fire occurred at 3:19 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the news release.

Deputies said Mullins admitted to starting the fire by turning on his kitchen stove’s gas burners and then pouring gasoline around the house, WKRC reported. Mullins then said he lit a piece of paper on fire and dropped it onto the gas, according to the television station.

Mullins’ home is located in a heavily wooded area and is close to several other homes and businesses, WLWT reported. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze quickly, and Mullins escaped the building without being injured, the television station reported.

According to the sheriff’s office news release, Mullins said that “God told him to start the fire and flee Kentucky.”

Mullins was arrested and booked into the Boone County Jail and bail was set at $25,000, the sheriff’s office said.