An 18-year-old is facing felony arson and burglary charges after police say he broke into a Nashville home he didn't live in and set it on fire, telling officers afterward that he was simply trying to smoke the bugs out. Ehran Shaw was arrested Thursday on charges including arson, aggravated burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia and underage possession of a nicotine vape, according to jail records.
Officers were dispatched to a home on 14th Avenue South in Nashville's Edgehill neighborhood after witnesses reported someone was trying to set the residence on fire, according to an arrest warrant cited by WZTV. Witnesses reported seeing smoke and flames coming from inside the home, and when officers arrived, they found evidence that a fire had been started inside, per the same warrant.
Witnesses told police they saw a man wearing a green polo shirt and gray shorts jump through a window of the home before leaving the residence and walking toward Edgehill Avenue. Police located Shaw in the area, and he matched the description witnesses had given. A witness identified him as the person seen at the residence, and Shaw was advised of his Miranda rights before speaking with officers.
Suspect Admitted Setting the Blaze, Affidavit Says
According to the affidavit, Shaw admitted to setting the fire and told officers he did it to smoke the bugs out of the home. Police allege Shaw did not live at the residence. Officers searched him before transporting him to jail and reportedly found a digital scale, an electronic nicotine vape, and a plastic bag containing blue powder residue on him.
Per the affidavit, Shaw told officers the blue residue came from a crushed Adderall pill and said the scale was used to weigh marijuana purchases. Under Tennessee law, simple possession of a Schedule II substance like Adderall without a valid prescription is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and fines up to $2,500, according to Devore Law PLLC. Shaw's total bond was set at $62,000.
A Known Fire Hazard, Not a Pest-Control Method
Setting a fire indoors to drive out insects is not just illegal — it's a documented safety hazard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Pesticide Information Center warn that improvised fumigation attempts, including aerosol foggers, carry severe fire and explosion risks when flammable vapors reach ignition sources like pilot lights or cycling appliances. Federal regulators require specific flammability warnings on bug foggers because of a long history of residential explosions tied to exactly this kind of do-it-yourself pest control.
Arson of a building or structure is a Class C felony under Tennessee Code § 39-14-301, carrying three to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. Aggravated burglary, the other serious felony Shaw faces, applies when someone unlawfully enters a residential dwelling with intent to commit a felony, theft, or assault, and it also carries three to 15 years in prison under Tennessee Code § 39-14-403, according to FindLaw. Investigations into intentionally set fires in Nashville are handled by the Nashville Fire Department's Fire Investigations Division, working alongside Metro Nashville Police and, when warranted, state and federal agencies including the ATF, per Nashville.gov.
Edgehill's History and a Summer of Nashville Fires
The home sits in Edgehill, a historic neighborhood just south of Downtown Nashville that borders Music Row and Belmont University. The area was originally settled by Black refugees and freedmen following the Civil War and has seen significant redevelopment in recent years, according to Nashville Sites.
Shaw's arrest adds to a summer marked by a string of Nashville arson cases. In June, Metro Nashville Police arrested a suspect who confessed to setting multiple fires near Broadway and 12th Avenue South on the final day of CMA Fest, ultimately facing nine felony arson charges, WZTV reported. And last month, Hoodline covered a separate Meharry Boulevard arson case in which a 67-year-old man was charged with aggravated arson after allegedly setting a bed on fire while a woman lay in it, an incident that required a Code Red rescue by firefighters and left two people injured.
Nationally, fire departments respond to roughly 365,000 home structure fires every year, according to Vision 20/20 Community Risk Reduction data, underscoring how dangerous even a seemingly small residential fire can become. Shaw's case remains pending, and the investigation is ongoing. The charges against him remain allegations at this stage.
