A family of four escaped through a window after flames blocked the front door, investigators said.
LEHIGH ACRES, FL — A Florida teenager is accused of igniting a house fire with a propane tank before dawn Saturday in Lehigh Acres while a family slept inside, then telling investigators he intended to kill a teenage friend who lived there, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say the case is being handled as attempted felony murder and arson after deputies and firefighters found a 5-gallon propane tank opened near the front door and signs of an improvised firebomb. The incident happened around 6 a.m. on the 300 block of Paisley Avenue in east Lee County. No one inside was injured, but the blaze forced the family to climb out a window as flames cut off their main exit. The teen suspect was taken into custody later that day and placed in secure detention with the Department of Juvenile Justice while prosecutors review potential adult charges.
Deputies were called after neighbors reported smoke and a growing fire at the single-story home just after sunrise Saturday. Fire crews attacked flames at the entryway while deputies checked for people inside. Investigators documented an open propane cylinder by the charred front door and a shattered glass bottle they described as a homemade incendiary device. Witnesses told deputies they saw a boy matching the suspect’s description park down the street, walk toward the home, and later linger near the scene asking what had happened. The mother in the home, Namiry Enrique Alvarez, said her family woke to heat and smoke and could not reach the front door. “It was a very traumatic moment,” Alvarez said, adding that her husband and children escaped through a bedroom window with their pets as firefighters arrived.
Detectives later interviewed the teen at his residence. Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the boy acknowledged bringing the propane tank and using an ignited, gas-filled bottle to start the fire. Marceno said the teen told investigators he wanted to kill his friend, Alvarez’s son, during the attack. The sheriff called the act “tremendous and horrifying,” noting that four people were inside the home at the time. The front entryway sustained heavy damage, and the interior showed smoke and heat impact, according to deputies. The family declined transport after medical evaluation at the scene. Officials did not report injuries to firefighters.
The Sheriff’s Office said the youth faces multiple counts, including four counts of attempted felony murder, first-degree arson of an occupied dwelling, occupied burglary, making or possessing a destructive device, and possession or use of a weapon. Because the suspect is a juvenile, authorities did not release full booking details beyond confirming secure detention. The State Attorney’s Office will decide whether to seek adult charges after reviewing reports, body-camera video and witness statements. Investigators have not released the precise fuel mixture in the bottle and said laboratory analysis is pending. Deputies also have not publicly detailed how the propane was obtained or transported to the address.
Court records in similar cases in Lee County show prosecutors often consult with fire investigators and state explosives experts before filing formal counts when homemade devices or fuel cylinders are involved. In this case, deputies emphasized the timing: the fire was set when the household, including a teenage boy targeted by the suspect, was likely asleep. The incident occurred Jan. 3, and deputies said a quick response by neighbors and firefighters limited the fire’s spread to the entry area. The Sheriff’s Office said the family’s pets were accounted for after the escape. The address on Paisley Avenue sits in a residential stretch of Lehigh Acres where homes are built close together, raising concerns about potential spread to neighboring structures that did not occur.
After the arrest, the teen was turned over to juvenile authorities for secure detention. Under Florida law, juveniles arrested on serious violent felonies are generally held while a risk assessment is completed and prosecutors determine charging decisions. Officials said a detention hearing will govern how long the suspect remains held pending formal charges. The State Attorney’s Office will also decide whether to transfer the case to adult court, a process that considers the severity of the offense, the youth’s age, prior record, and any evidence of premeditation, which deputies allege in this case through the procurement of a fuel tank and incendiary device.
Neighbors described a chaotic scene at sunrise: alarms sounding, smoke pushing from the doorway, and shouts as the family climbed through a window. Alvarez said the boy suspected of starting the fire briefly returned and asked if everyone was all right before leaving. “Even now, two days later, I still can’t sleep,” she said through a translator. Sheriff Marceno thanked firefighters and residents for quick calls that, he said, prevented a deadly outcome. A witness who saw a vehicle parked down the block provided a description that deputies used to identify the teen, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As of Wednesday, deputies said the investigation remains active. Detectives are collecting additional video from the neighborhood and awaiting tests on debris taken from the doorway. Damage estimates were not immediately available, and officials did not release a full repair timeline for the home. Prosecutors are reviewing reports and will announce charging decisions and any hearing dates in the coming days. A routine evidence review and filing decision by the State Attorney’s Office is the next step.
Author note: Last updated January 8, 2026.