A mother was arrested and faces an aggravated arson charge after allegedly setting her apartment on fire and trying to keep her children inside, officials say.
Cassandra Jones, 39, is accused of starting a fire in her Luling apartment complex and attempting to prevent her four children from being rescued by their property manager, a local firefighter who was off-duty at the time, in late July, Louisiana State Fire Marshal officials announced Monday. According to Fire Marshal's deputies, the fire broke out early in the morning on July 23 in the Parc Lakewood Apartment complex, located in the 100 block of Lakewood Drive.
The apartment manager, a firefighter in St. Charles Parish, told deputies he heard children screaming for help from the balcony of Jones' room and saw smoke coming from the windows behind them.