Man faces 30 years in prison for arson

Dec. 05--PEORIA -- A Peoria man faces up to 30 years in prison for allegedly starting a garage fire last month that injured a Peoria firefighter.

Anthony S. Belt, 29, of 1625 W. Gilbert St., was indicted Tuesday by a Peoria County grand jury on charges of aggravated arson and arson in connection with the Nov. 3 fire at 2003 W. Proctor St.,

He remains at the Peoria County Jail on $75,000 and will be arraigned on the charges on Thursday.

According to the charges, the fire was started "to defraud Allstate insurance."

Peoria firefighters were called to the location at about 11:47 p.m. and when they arrived, they found a detached, two-stall garage fully engulfed in flames, with fire spreading to the house at the same address, along with a motor home parked in driveway, according to the Peoria Fire Department.

Firefighters lead four occupants out of the house to a safe spot across the street, according to Journal Star archives.

Multiple crews, with 21 total firefighters, were needed to control the fires. The next-door house at 1927 W. Proctor St. also sustained damage, to vinyl siding from the heat from garage fire, the department said.

Total damage was estimated at $40,000, the department said.

One firefighter suffered injury to foot and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

___

(c)2018 the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.)

Visit the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.) at www.PJStar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.