VIDEO: Witnesses say fires 'frequently occurred' when woman arrested for arson was nearby
ZACHARY - After a fire that left a trailer destroyed Tuesday morning, investigators arrested a woman for arson who witnesses say was frequently around when other fires started.
The Zachary Fire Department responded to a fire at a trailer on Donnie Street shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday. When officials arrived, they learned there had been several other fires recently in vacant buildings in the surrounding area.
Multiple witnesses told investigators that Brooklyn LaFleur, 42, was nearby when other fires started.
The trailer owner said LaFleur was asked to leave the property Monday out of concern that another fire would start, something LaFleur acknowledged to investigators.
"She thought it was only temporarily, which is why she returned," an arrest affidavit said.
Fire investigators with the Baton Rouge Fire Department said there was "no competent ignition source" at the scene of the fire and that it was determined to be intentionally set. When they questioned LaFleur, her explanation of the events allegedly changed several times, and her boyfriend told officials that she was not with him despite her saying she was.
Arrest records say that her story conflicted with LaFleur's boyfriend's sister, who told authorities that, when she went to the trailer to inform her brother of the fire, LaFleur was not there.
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According to arrest records, LaFleur was also able to "share details of the fire's origin location that would only be known to someone who witnessed the fire in its early stages."
"Investigators also observed LaFleur playing with a lighter randomly sparking the flame as she sat not knowing she was being observed and believed that she may have a fascination with fire," records say.
LaFleur was arrested and booked for simple arson and criminal trespass.