SYRACUSE, Utah, May 2, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A 33-year-old Syracuse man was booked into the Davis County jail Thursday after he allegedly set fire to a house with people inside.
Eric Dwayne Gilley is being held without bail on the first-degree felony charge.
Firefighters were called to the scene, in the 1400 south block of Doral Drive, Syracuse, at 4:11 a.m. Thursday.
Multiple tenants evacuated before first-responders arrived.
The basement room that burned was rented by Gilley.
“The fire was found by an upstairs tenant when they smelled smoke coming from the basement,” says the arrest document, filed by an officer of the Syracuse Police Department.
“Eric was not at the residence when first responders arrived and no one was able to get in contact with him,” it says.
“A search warrant was obtained for Eric’s room and the entire residence. The fire was contained to the mattress and did not spread to any of the other rooms in the residence.”
A melted bottle of isopropyl alcohol was located on Eric’s bed near the foot of the mattress.
“Based on the burn pattern and the point of origin, investigators believed an accelerant had been used to start the fire.”
“It should be noted that the bedroom window was closed and a box was placed in front of it, preventing anyone from entering or exiting without disturbing it. The walkout basement door was slightly ajar when the upstairs tenant came downstairs to extinguish the fire.”
Gilley was located by Layton City police about 19 hours after officials first tried to find him, the court document says. Post Miranda, Gilley said he had been in Layton and was unaware of the fire.
“Eric did tell me he had a butane lighter and lighters in his room but was aware of how the fire started. Eric told me he has lived in the residence for two months. Eric then invoked his rights and didn’t want to speak with me any further.”
Gilley did not consent to having his photo taken.
“On his left arm there is an area of skin discoloration consistent with, but not definitively identified as, a burn injury. Also, on his left arm he doesn’t have any noticeable arm hair, compared to his right arm, which doesn’t have discoloration and has noticeable arm hair.”
Gilley was ordered to be held without bail.
