Mar 29, 3:05 AM EST

Man tells authorities he torched building to rid it of homeless

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- A man accused of torching a Tucson home told investigators he did it because he was fed up with homeless people using it as a "flophouse."

Daniel Lewis Purcell, 59, is being held on arson, criminal damage and burglary charges in lieu of $100,000 bond.

The arson fire was quickly extinguished, and witnesses told fire crews they saw a man in a red pickup truck speeding away, according to a Pima County sheriff's report.

Detectives interviewed a woman who lived next door, who said she had complained to her roommate, Purcell, about loud noises from the home shortly before the fire started Friday afternoon.

She said Purcell went next door and came back, telling her the home was on fire. He then grabbed a case of beer and left in his truck for a friend's house, the report said.

Detectives asked Purcell to return home, and when questioned, the report said he admitted breaking in and setting the residence on fire by throwing a match on a mattress.

"He found the matches laying on the mattress and since he was already inside, he decided to set the place on fire," the report stated. "His reasoning was due to the fact that he and neighbors were tired of the transient drug users that were using the residence as a flophouse."