DULUTH - A Duluth man accused of setting a fire in his mobile home told police that he was attempting to commit suicide.
That information was contained in a criminal complaint filed today charging Matthew Allen Hashey, 28, with first-degree arson. Hashey suffered second-degree burns in the July 30 fire at Pleasant View Mobile Home Park. The fire also killed his two dogs.
Arson Investigator Todd Kuusisto arrived at the arson charge after speaking with Hashey's relatives, hospital personnel and Hashey himself.
A relative on the scene of the fire told Kuusisto that Hashey had been emotionally disturbed since his wife and children moved to Grand Rapids to live with a relative in June.
Kuusisto learned from a nurse and emergency room physician at St. Mary's Medical Center that Hashey had a strong odor of gasoline when he arrived at the hospital.
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A nurse reported that Hashey said words to the effect of "I thought if I drank enough, the fire wouldn't wake me up.'' Hashey also told hospital staff he intended to open the doors of his mobile home to allow the dogs to escape the fire, according to the complaint.
Kuusisto said he interviewed Hashey in the Miller Dwan burn unit on Aug. 3, and Hashey admitted to intentionally setting the mobile home on fire with the intention of committing suicide. His plan was to drink enough alcohol to pass out and not feel the immolation. He admitted using gasoline from a red plastic container as an accelerant, the complaint alleges. Once Hashey realized he was on fire, he panicked and attempted to escape. He said he called for the dogs to follow as he made his way to the back bathroom but the dogs, a border collie and a Labrador, did not come. He broke a window and scrambled out.
"If I did it right, I wouldn't be here, my dogs would," Hashey said, according to the criminal complaint.
The dead dogs were found lying just inside the home's exit door. Hashey was treated for second-degree burns and cuts from escaping through the broken window.
Hashey put other residents of the mobile home park, including his own relatives, in danger, Kuusisto said.
"His sister lived in a trailer across the street and his father lived right next door,'' Kuusisto said. "Him thinking about his own personal concerns and disregarding the safety of the park in general was a major factor to charge this case as it was. It could have spread to other trailers and could have put other people in danger."
Hashey was being held Tuesday in the St. Louis County Jail. The County Attorney's office said it has public safety concerns if Hashey is released from jail and is also concerned about Hashey's well-being. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 9.
