COLUMBUS – An elderly West Side woman has been charged with arson after setting her own trailer home on fire.
Edna Underwood, 71, was arrested Monday and was charged with aggravated arson after Columbus Division of Fire spokesman Battalion Chief Steve Martin says she confessed to starting the Sunday morning fire that destroyed her mobile home on Edson Drive.
Underwood’s arrest came after a daylong search after firefighters failed to find her in the trailer which neighbors said she rarely left, Martin said.
Just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning fire dispatchers got a call from someone reporting his neighbor’s mobile home on Edson Drive was on fire and he was concerned for the woman who lived there, Martin said.
Firefighters arrived to find the trailer engulfed in flames and worked their way inside where Martin says they found the home filled with a large amount of personal belongings which hindered efforts to extinguish the blaze and made it difficult for firefighters to navigate within the trailer.
Neighbors told firefighters that Underwood rarely left the trailer so they were confident she would be inside and firefighters began a search for her immediately upon entering the home, Martin said. They searched for several hours before they were satisfied there was no one in the home.
Weather provided a further hindrance to firefighting efforts as thick fog trapped smoke close to the ground reducing visibility during the search, Martin said.
Almost five hours after the initial phone call, Martin says members of the Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit finished their processing of the scene but continued to try to locate Underwood until they found her Monday afternoon. Martin says she was taken to jail to await a hearing.