A Homestead Personal Care home resident was arrested after apparently setting fire to his mattress at 2:05 p.m. last Monday. There were no reported injuries.  Madisonville Police Department reported Bradley D. Eaves, 40 of Madisonville, was charged with first-degree arson following an investigation.  Police said Eaves ignited his mattress “in an attempt to burn the structure down.”  Eaves was arrested without incident and taken to Hopkins County Jail, where he was being held this evening, pending bond.

PREVIOUS: Several Madisonville Fire Department crews responded to Homestead Personal Care home off Thompson Avenue, where all the residents were evacuated due to a fire that broke out in a room around 2 this afternoon.  MFD Fire Chief Ray Wyatt confirmed a bed had caught fire in one building at the facility.

“Right now, we’re trying to determine whether the fire was accidental or set on purpose,” he said.  Wyatt noted the sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the flames. Debris was still smoldering in the room when engines arrived. Fire Department members could be seen with fire hoses inside one of the structures.

Residents along one hall of the building where the fire occurred may have to be relocated, Wyatt said.

Madisonville Police Department also responded.