A man awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges he shot his friend escaped flames early Saturday morning in Falls Township.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The fire happened in the 50 block of Nettletree Lane in Levittown just after 2 a.m., Falls Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito said. The blaze was quickly contained by firefighters and there was heavy smoke damage in the hallway and a bedroom, added the fire marshal.
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The man, Charles Byle III, 26, received minor injuries. It was unclear if those were from the fire or because of his intoxicated state, multiple law enforcement and fire sources told LevittownNow.com.
Police Lt. Hank Ward said Byle told officers he had consumed a bottle alcohol and then fell asleep in the bedroom with a lit cigarette.
The fire does not appear purposefully set, Ward said. Dippolito reported he’ll be back at the scene Sunday to continue the investigation.
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This is not the first fire for Byle; a home he lived in across the street was destroyed by flames in 2012, according to authorities and neighbors. A police source said there was also a third fire incident involving Byle in the past few years.
Byle is set to have a preliminary hearing next month on charges he shot his friend inside a bedroom at the same Nettletree Lane home where the fire happened. The bloody crime scene was discovered by police investigating a man who came into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township with at least one bullet lodged in his chest. To this day, the bullet has not been removed from the victim, police said. Byle is currently free on $150,000.
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