A 46-year-old man is facing attempted felony murder and arson charges after deputies say he set fire to his longtime friend's travel trailer while both men were still inside it, in South Miami-Dade just outside Florida City. Brody James Severe was ordered held without bond following the Monday evening fire on the 18700 block of Southwest 356th Street, where he had been living with the victim since June.
According to the Miami Herald, the victim told deputies he saw Severe use a blue flame torch lighter to ignite a blue-and-white towel, a mattress and curtains inside the trailer. The victim said Severe was rambling about God, his place of work and other unrelated topics while setting the trailer ablaze, before the victim fled and called law enforcement, per the same report.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene, determined the fire had been intentionally set, and collected evidence and photographs before deputies made the arrest, the Herald reports. The two men have reportedly been friends for more than two decades, and the victim had allowed Severe to move into the trailer with him after Severe fell on hard times in California, according to the outlet. The extent of the damage to the trailer remains unclear.
Suspect Grew Uncooperative in Custody
Severe was taken to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office South District Station following his arrest, where the Herald reports he became uncooperative, refused to walk inside, and at one point sat down on the pavement outside the station. He later appeared in bond court, where a judge ordered him held without bond. He is now being detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Because deputies say the victim was inside the trailer when the fire was set, Severe faces charges well beyond simple property destruction. Under Florida Statute ยง806.01, willfully setting fire to a dwelling where people are normally present is first-degree arson, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in state prison and fines up to $10,000. The trailer was being used as a residence.
Why Attempted Murder Charges Apply
The case also includes an attempted felony-murder charge.
The case is also a reminder of how quickly travel trailer fires can turn deadly. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that fire departments nationwide respond to roughly 4,200 recreational vehicle and travel trailer fires each year, resulting in an average of 15 civilian deaths, 125 injuries and more than $60 million in property damage annually. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, recreational vehicle fires averaged an estimated 4,200 incidents annually from 2018 to 2020, causing an estimated 15 civilian deaths, 125 injuries and $60,300,000 in losses each year. According to the Florida Department of Financial Services' 2022 Annual Report, fire departments responded to 2,914,631 incidents statewide, with mobile property such as vehicles and boats accounting for 3%. The available reporting does not provide further details about the types of recreational vehicles involved or how quickly such fires can consume a trailer.
Local Jurisdiction and Recent Cases
The 18700 block of Southwest 356th Street is just outside Florida City, where deputies responded to the scene. The incident involved the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
This is not the only trailer arson case South Miami-Dade has seen recently. In April, Hoodline reported that Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and deputies investigated a separate trailer fire in the rural Redland area, arresting a 37-year-old man on second-degree arson charges after witnesses linked that blaze to a personal dispute. The available reporting does not provide statewide statistics for Florida fire and arson investigations.
The available reporting does not detail the role of state arson investigators in suspected arson scenes. What remains unresolved in this case is the official cause-and-origin determination from those state investigators, the precise scope of the trailer's damage, and whether any mental health or substance issues played a role in the ranting the victim described. Severe's next court date has not been reported.
