See the article from a Wisconsin paper below. Do these actions "add up" to an arson charge (felony??) or is it neglience ? I understand that he exposed people to the risk of injury and/or death and that the property of others was damaged. In NC, there must be some criminal intent - against the people or property. What was his intent - burn the building down, injure or kill a person, or clean the apartment?


Smoking Man Cleans Apartment with Gasoline
Associated Press

April 09, 2009

Wisconsin – A man faces an arson charge after telling authorities he wasn’t thinking when he decided to use gasoline for cleaning up his apartment, and then tossed a lit cigarette into a pile of gas-soaked cushions and clothes. A criminal complaint filed Monday quoted a 47-year-old man as saying he knew gasoline is flammable and never should have used it.

The complaint said that when the fire began Friday, he didn’t pull the fire alarm but instead shouted “fire” a couple times and walked to the Menasha police department for an ambulance to take him to the hospital where he was treated for burns.

Firefighters said the blaze extensively damaged the apartment and caused heavy smoke damage throughout the building, putting tenants of 11 other units out of their homes.