A second man has been arrested following a house fire Saturday in Mamou.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office reports that 62-year-old John Landry was arrested in Lafayette Parish on a hold for Evangeline Parish. He was arrested and booked on a simple arson charge in connection with the fire at a residence in Mamou.
Following his arrest, officials say Landry denied his involvement in the fire, but gave investigators conflicting stories about his whereabouts the night of the fire.
Another man, 29-year-old Tyler Byrd, was booked into the Evangeline Parish Jail on Sunday, November 18, 2018. He was booked on one count of simple arson.
According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Investigators determined that the house fire began in the garage and was incendiary.
Byrd, who lived in the home with relatives, was the only resident in the home at the time of the fire, according to officials.
In an interview, Byrd allegedly admitted to investigators that he and a friend lit the fire near an ATV in the garage. He gave deputies no reason for setting the fire other than that he and the friend had been drinking and “things got out of hand.”
