SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas man recently evicted was arrested Sunday for allegedly attempting to burn down the rental property while his dog was still inside.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a possible burglary at a residence in the 1400 Block of Arapahoe in Salina, according to Salina Police Capt. Paul Forrester. Officers arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the residence.

Fire crews were dispatched and began clearing the building. They made contact with 41-year-old Billy Dean Martin who took refuge in a room, holding the door shut so firefighters could not get in.

Martin told them that he started the fire because he wanted to kill himself and burn the place down, according to Forrester.

The firefighters forced their way into the room and removed Martin and his dog.

Capt. Forrester said that Martin had put paper on the stove to start the fire. It caused about $5,200 in damage before fire crews extinguished it.

Martin had been evicted from the residence on Sept. 16 and was supposed to remove his belongs by Sept. 20.

Police arrested Martin for felony aggravated arson, burglary, animal cruelty, possession of marijuana and interference with fire crews.