Norwalk Man Charged in Connection to Woodward Avenue Fire

Police arrested a 42-year-old homeless Norwalk man yesterday for allegedly setting fire to a garage which had man inside it.

According to police, witnesses saw Ruben Davila, who lives at the shelter on Merritt Street, running down the street after the fire was set on the detached garage, located at 35 Woodward Avenue. Police eventually apprehended Davila at the shelter and charged him with first-degree arson and first-degree assault.

An officer at the scene said the victim inside the garage, a 33-year-old man, looked like he had first-degree or second-degree burns on him. Police noted, however, that the officer was not making an official statement but rather expressing his opinion. 

The victim, who was "conscious and alert," according to Sergeant Lisa Cotto, identified Davila as the man who set the fire.

Davila is held on $750,000 bond and is due in court March 28. 

Police responded to the fire on Wednesday, March 20 at 9:56 a.m. The house on the property was located 30 to 40 feet from the burning garage, and the fire was causing its vinyl siding to melt. Police ordered those occupying the house to evacuate, and none of them were injured.

The front-end of a food vending truck parked near the blaze was also damaged, police said.

Police are unsure why Davila set the garage on fire, and were unsure of the status of the victim. The case remains under investigation.