Page Reader AI | Flaming sex toys sparked blaze damaging three Staten Island homes, neighbor busted

Flaming sex toys sparked blaze damaging three Staten Island homes, neighbor busted

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A three-alarm fire in Staten Island, New York, caused significant damage to three homes. Authorities arrested Harry Torres, 37, who confessed to starting the blaze by burning sex toys in his backyard. The fire spread rapidly, endangering an elderly woman living in one of the affected houses. Two vehicles were also damaged.

The Incident

The fire, initially deemed suspicious, began around 3 p.m. on Wednesday on North Burgher Avenue. The intensity of the blaze required a three-alarm response from the FDNY. An elderly woman, a resident since 1987, had to evacuate her home.

The Accused

Torres admitted to lighting two sex toys on fire, including a “rubber vagina,” though the reason for his actions remains unclear. He is facing charges of arson and reckless endangerment. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries.

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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.

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