Man may have set house on fire twice

SYRACUSE — A Syracuse man was arrested after police say he set fire not once, but twice to a home he was planning to buy.

Daniel Scott Furniss, 29, was booked into the Davis County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated arson.

Firefighters were called to a home at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday after smoke was seen coming from the structure. Evidence indicated the fire may have been intentionally set, said Syracuse Police Lt. Tracy Jensen.

A K-9 trained to detect the presence of accelerants was brought in to walk through the home. "The dog gave a positive hit in four different places in the house for accelerant," Jensen said.

The dog also indicated the presence of accelerants on Furniss' clothing and the clothing of his roommate, the lieutenant said. However, investigators believe Furniss, who is in the process of buying the home, acted alone.

"He did not give a motive other than he just freaked out," Jensen said.

According to investigators, Furniss allegedly set fire to a couch in the home at 4 a.m. Tuesday, but extinguished the blaze. He is accused of setting the second fire — which caused an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 in damage — later in the morning.

"We believe he started it and then left to go meet his roommate at work for an alibi," Jensen said. "At this point we have nothing to believe the roommate was an active participant. We're not looking at him as a suspect."

Tuesday's incident marks the fourth arson investigated by the Syracuse Police Department in 2009, a "high rate" Jensen said he could not explain.

Furniss remains in jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.

— Geoff Liesik