A 52-year-old man was arrested Thursday for allegedly setting fire to his 81-year-old mother’s San Francisco home after an argument, police said.
Police and firefighters responded on Thursday at about 4 p.m. to the three-story, single-family home in the 2800 block of Broderick Street, located in the city’s Cow Hollow neighborhood.
According to police, the man’s mother called authorities to report her son, Conrad Niels, of Rohnert Park, had allegedly set fire to some papers in the home after a verbal argument. He had apparently been living with his mother for the past three weeks, police said.
When police arrived, Niels was gone, but during the investigation about an hour later, police saw smoke billowing out of the home’s heating vents.
The fire, which police discovered had been set in the basement, was extinguished by firefighters who were called back to the home, police said.
Officers found Niels hiding in the backyard, police said.
Niels was booked on suspicion of arson and remains in custody, according to police.
The fire caused substantial damage to the home, but no injuries, police said.
