A San Jose man faces multiple felony arson charges after setting a massive fire at a local Home Depot earlier this month, CNN reports.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release that Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue, 27, has been charged with aggravated arson, seven counts of grand theft, and three counts of petty theft.
On April 9, Gogue allegedly started the five-alarm fire at a Home Depot in San Jose while he was shoplifting to act as a distraction from his crime. The blaze ended up destroying the entire 98,827 square foot store, causing an estimated $17 million in inventory loss. Thankfully, no one was injured.
“The evidence shows that the suspect—who had earlier that day stolen items from a nearby Bass Pro Shop-—lit the fire in the Home Depot and tried to leave the store with a cart containing stolen tools,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, per ABC 7.
“I am thankful to all the law enforcement partners who quickly brought this person to justice,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen added. “And I am thankful this was not a multiple murder case. This fire, set during business hours, could so easily have left bodies in the rubble. It was horribly reckless behavior, and we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”
The National Weather Service’s San Francisco office confirmed that the fire was so enormous that its heat signature could be detected from space.
Gogue, who is scheduled to appear in court on June 1, is being held without bail in Santa Clara County jail.
“We’re thankful no one was harmed, and that all of our associates and customers are safe and accounted for,” a Home Depot spokesperson told CNN. “Thank you to our associates for the fast action and courage they showed to quickly evacuate the building, which ensured no one was harmed.”
