BALTIMORE — After nearly four-years police have arrested a suspect tied to an arson that claimed the lives of three Baltimore City firefighters.
Charging documents describe eight days of processing the scene of a vacant house fire at 205 N. Stricker Street.
The home went up in flames overnight on January 24, 2022.
Area surveillance footage captured a man later identified as James Edwin Barnett entering the backdoor of the home around 11:23pm the night prior.
RELATED: City prosecutors reviewing evidence linked to Stricker Street fire that killed three firefighters
Video showed several light flashes coming from the first floor before Barnett left at 11:31pm.
Smoke is then seen emerging the home, eventually turning into heavy flames.
By the time fire crews were alerted, the home was engulfed.
A 911 call reported people possibly trapped inside, prompting a group of firefighters to enter the burning home.
Among them were Paul Butrim, Kenny Lacayo and Kelsey Sadler, all who died in the line of duty when the home's upper floors collapsed.
Following the fire, investigators conducted light source analysis testing which revealed the flashes were intentionally produced by a butane cigarette lighter.
About a month later, police spotted Barnett wearing the same Nike shoes as when the fire was set.
MORE: 7 Minutes to Collapse — A Closer Look at the Deadly Stricker St Fire
When asked, Barnett told investigators he used to stay at 205 N. Stricker Street, before neighbors forced him out.
He also admitted to entering the home around the time flashes of light could be seen, but denied responsibility, although no one besides him was observed on location during that period.
Police later searched another vacant home on Ashton Street where Barnett was living.
Inside they found a jacket he wore when entering the home before flames broke out.
Barnett now faces three counts of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Court records show Barnett was charged in June 2023 for a series of burglaries in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood, an area he was known to frequent in search of scrap metal.
