Feud with landlord suspect in house fire

A Centerville man set an vacant house on fire following a dispute with his landlord, St. Mary Parish sheriff’s deputies reported.
Michael Blanchard Sr., 45, of 123 Palmer Lane, was charged at 6:22 a.m. Tuesday with simple arson.
Deputies were notified through 911 at 3 a.m. and arrived to a home fully engulfed in flames, Traci Landry, spokeswoman for St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert, said.
Blanchard, who lived in a neighboring home, had been arguing with his landlord earlier in the evening and had made threats toward him, Landry said. Witnesses told officers the fire might not have been an accident and police found both inconsistencies in Blanchard’s statements and evidence linking him to the fire, she said.
Franklin Assistant Fire Department Chief Jeff Hildreth — whose department along with Centerville Volunteer Fire Department is assisting the Louisiana Fire Marshal’s office with the investigation — said they fought the fire at 125 Palmer Lane until 8 a.m. today.
Power lines fell on the house that has a metal roof, and several explosions were heard as a shed behind the structure containing acetylene tanks caught fire, all complicating the fire fight, Hildreth said.
Mutual aid was requested from the Patterson Volunteer Fire Department, bringing a total of 26 firefighters and seven apparatus from the three departments, he said.
The origin of the fire was determined to be the concrete floor of the carport, leading investigators to determine arson was likely, according to Hildreth. The case remains under investigation while officials await tests being performed by the Acadiana Crime Lab.
Blanchard remained jailed this afternoon with no bail set.