Firefighters responded to a structure fire in South Lake Tahoe that was later determined to be a committed arson.
On January 22 at approximately 4:47 a.m., the South Lake Tahoe dispatch received a 911 call of a possible structure fire in the 3300 block of Treehaven Drive.
Fire officials say they responded to the scene and found the second story of the home fully involved in flames.
Later, the fire was extinguished before it started spreading to nearby homes and trees.
Fire officials say an investigation was prompted after the fire was extinguished. The investigation led to the authorities believing the fire stemmed from a domestic violence incident and that the fire had been intentionally set.
Later, a suspect identified as Jeremy Nichols allegedly fled the home and couldn't be located by authorities.
The investigation continued, and eventually it was determined that Nichols had a hotel room at Harrah’s Casino. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office went to the Harrah's property and requested that Nichols come out of the room. Nichols denied deputies requests, according to authorities.
Authorities say South Lake Tahoe Police Department Detectives took over the investigation, and a warrant was issued for Nichols’s arrest after Nichols wouldn't come out of the hotel room.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office made entry into the hotel room and safely took Nichols into custody on alleged charges of two counts of malicious arson to an inhabited structure and domestic battery.
According to authorities, Nichols was booked into the Douglas County jail, where he will be held without bail pending extradition back to California.
There were no injuries reported to any people or pets from the fire, authorities say. The investigation is still ongoing.
