Arson Charges Coming for Coventry Assisted Living Facility Resident

COVENTRY, RI—A 54-year-old woman who allegedly set a fire inside the Summer Villa assisted living facility in Coventry last week will be charged with two counts each of first-degree arson and felony assault.

Coventry Police Det. Capt. Ben Sedam said in a news release Tuesday that Sophie Souza, 54, will be charged upon her release from the hospital where she is being treated “for reasons other than injury from the fire.”

Souza, who lived at Summer Villa, allegedly set the fire that spread to two rooms and forced the nearly 60 residents of the facility to evacuate and eventually get transported to the Coventry Senior Center as cleanup crews dealt with the damage.

The Dec. 11 fire was started at around 4:30 a.m. and crews from every fire district in Coventry responded to the assisted living facility located at 51 Laurel Avenue.

Police and the state fire marshal immediately believed the fire was suspicious and announced Friday afternoon that it appeared to have been deliberately set by a resident. Souza, who had not been named by police until today, was placed in police custody while at the hospital as the investigation continued.