A man busted for starting a fire that damaged three Staten Island homes and threatened the life of an elderly woman told authorities the blaze started when he tried to burn sex toys in his backyard, documents reveal.

“I started the fire. I was in the backyard at my house and I lit two sex toys on fire,” Harry Torres, 37, told investigators, according to a criminal complaint against him.

The fire, which authorities initially called “suspicious,” started around 3 p.m. Wednesday at a home on North Burgher Ave., and quickly spread to two neighboring buildings, which were then extensively damaged, according to FDNY officials.

“This was a heavy, deep-seated fire that necessitated the use of three alarms,” FDNY borough commander Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms said.

Emma Seiwell / New York Daily NewsA burned car is seen on North Burgher Ave. in Staten Island after a man told authorities he tried to burn sex toys in his backyard. (Emma Seiwell / New York Daily News)

A woman in her 80s who lived in one of the houses that caught fire was forced to flee after the blaze reached her home, her adult children told the SI Advance. She had lived in the home since 1987, her children said.

There were no injuries reported in the fire, which also damaged two vehicles, according to the complaint against Torres.

It was not immediately clear how or why Torres set fire to the sex toys, which included a “rubber vagina,” according to a police source.

Torres is charged with arson and reckless endangerment, according to the FDNY.

Originally Published: April 17, 2025 at 10:52 PM EDT