In a chilling incident in Polk County, a man with a grim history of criminal behavior now stands accused of attempting to murder five individuals by setting ablaze the group home where they resided. According to the report by ClickOrlando, 69-year-old Eddie Thomas, a convicted murderer and registered sexual offender, allegedly orchestrated a deliberate fire at around 3 A.M. last Thursday.
There were five other people inside the group home for sexual offenders and predators when Thomas purportedly spread accelerant throughout the hallway in front of each bedroom. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described Thomas' actions, saying, "We know now he was splashing accelerant in front of every bedroom down the hallway and tried to create a fire barrier so they could not run out of the house." Witnesses recall hearing what sounded like splashing, preceding an ignition that threatened their lives. After the fire was started, Thomas immediately drove from the scene, later checking himself into a mental health hospital where law enforcement apprehended him, as Sheriff Judd elucidated in the ClickOrlando article.
In the chaos of the fire, residents faced harrowing escape attempts, with one victim, impeded by a walker and suffering serious burns, having no choice but to crawl to safety. This victim and another were ultimately hospitalized for their injuries, one requiring surgery. A WFTV report detailed the accounts from victims, describing the overpowering scent of gasoline and the sight of the home's hallway, slick with accelerant, igniting in flames.
