MASON CITY – The Mason City Fire Department responded to a call of a house fire early Sunday morning.
At 3:29 a.m., firefighters were at 30 15th Street NE. The house was totally engulfed in flames.
Mason City police said Sunday in a press release that “as officers responded, they were advised that the fire had been intentionally started by a man that lived at the address.”
It is believed that at least two people resided at that address; a woman and her boyfriend. Both were out of the house. Officers took Bachig Cornelious, age 23, into custody in connection with the fire. Cornelious was booked into the county jail and charged with arson in the second degree, a class C felony. He was also charged with domestic assault, a serious misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
“That’s my nieces house,” a witness at the scene told NIT reporter Jody Spear. “I just got home from the hospital and saw the house on fire. I live across the street. Then I saw her boyfriend run into the street saying, ‘She deserved it, she deserved it.’ The couple apparently were arguing, so he started the house on fire,” said the victim’s aunt in disbelief.
One of the concerns the firefighters had was that the house fire was close to Mason City Lumber, located just west of the fire, on North Federal Avenue. It didn’t look like any harm was done to that building.
The Mason City Police Department was directing traffic on North Federal, putting up barricades, and ensuring people’s safety.
“He wasn’t drunk, he did this sober,” said a neighbor, who was visiting the residence at the time of the incident. “I poured him one drink. They started arguing. It was just a verbal fight. To avoid anymore arguing, she went next door to get away from him for a while.”
Firefighters were on the roof of the house. The holes that were cut released more smoke and flames. They proceeded to put the fire out, then went inside to investigate.
Fire Chief Bob Platts was at the scene as well.
“Why would someone do that?!,” exclaimed the witness, again. “He felt neglected, so he starts a fire? Why would he do that?” It was explained that he felt neglected because she wouldn’t talk to him. She didn’t want to argue anymore.”
It was also said that a dog perished in the blaze.
The following information was given to NIT later Sunday morning: A person familiar with the female victim “was just up talking to the girl and her mom. The guy did throw the dog in the fire and the dog is dead. The girl has it in the back of her van.”
Jody Spear and Kelley Meyer contributed to this story and took the photos and video.
SUBJECT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
Watch video:
First of all the screen name is my nickname nothing else ment by it. We do not need the KKK here to take care of OUR problems. What we need are OUR citizens standing up to the influx of criminals and derilicts that have migrated here and the home grown ones as well. We need to report what we know, suspect and see to the police. And then we need to hold the criminal justice system accountable to get rid of the problems. If it does not then we need to fix it. Trust me these problems that came here are not going to try very hard to stay, if we make it tough on them they will move on to easier places. Why do you think they ended up here anyways, not all went to NIACC and not all the did go to NIACC are bad either. Dirtbags you’re being put on notice. GET OUT OF OUR TOWN!
Bring the klan in? WTF is wrong with you Anonymous?
Matt why do you allow trash like this to comment with such HATE?
Bring the Klan in Anonymous wtf is wrong with you and Matt why would you allow such hate on this blog.
Haha I hope it was a stupid pit bull that he killed
Do the landlords have any PRIDE??? Are they the real bad citizens here for allowing this situation???
Typical story of trash moving in, and not caring about ANYTHING other than the basics such as being able to eat each day and finding their drugs and a woman to beat on. This guy has probably never worked a real job in his life and has no care or responsibility in the world in regards to just doing $40,000 in damage or so because he was mad at his girlfriend. I’m sure the federal government will pick up the cost of fixing that house too, along supplying the monthly welfare checks.
Abusing and/or killing pets is a tactic that many abusers use. The murder of the dog is tragic, but my hope is that this man will also be held accountable for domestic abuse.
Russell Hardy owns this one, according to the county.
The cops need to put these bastards away for good or put them 6 feet under. What a p.o.s! Nice smirk in his pic! Hope he gets beat for what he did to the dog!
It’s common knowledge who the good people and the bad people are in the north end. Sad to say but the out of town blacks who run drugs freely and do whatever the hell they want to in this town do it because they know they can and get away with it. Plain and simple. Ask the black who fired a round into a car full of people. He didnt even spend the night in jail. A lot worse happens in the north end and other parts of town than just drug dealing, but nobody wants to hear about that. Ten years from now they will have put a circle around this town like a noose and we’ll just be a little Detroit. It’s already starting to happen.
Address in story is wrong. It’s northeast.
i saw this all happen and they were laughing about it as if it were no big deal, she commented who cares we have renter’s insurence and will get help from the red cross, hell i wished they all would have gone up, it would better our town and be less drugs around the north end of town, the only thing sad about it is a dog died
This just proved my point months ago about the part of town known as the “north end”. It is full of crime, drugs, social deviants and it’s no wonder the law abiding citizens do not want to live there anymore. It’s time for a major clean up of northern Mason City. Killing a dog, setting fire to a house, threatening the livelihoods of the people who work at the lumberyard and who live adjacent to those other houses should get life in jail…with no benefits. Hard labor, stale bread and warm water to drink. Make prison impossible to adjust to, and see if these idiots want to keep going back. Citizens of Mason City, especially the north end had better wake up before it’s too late. Your part of town is going down the toilet at a rapid pace.
GET OUT WE DONT WANT YOU PEOPLE HERE DONT YOU GET IT? GET OUT NOW!GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CRAWLED OUT FROM UNDER. TRASH!
I AGREE Anonymous! LETS GET THIS GARBAGE OUT OF TOWN. THEY ALL COME HERE TRYING TO TAKE OVER OUR CITY, A CITY WE GREW UP IN. MOST PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO COME OUT OF THEIR HOUSE ANYMORE. THIS GUY KILLS A INNOCENT DOG AND THEY CANT ADD THAT CHARGE ON? CRAP! IT SEEMS THE MCPD IS WANTING A RIOT TO COME OF ALL OF THIS. THEY WOULDNT KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A RIOT!
He will be back on the street before the month is over. Animal abusers are the lowest form of scum there is. What goes round, comes round in it’s own good time…..
This guy should have been charged with animal cruelty & murder of an animal!!!! What an evil low life POS!!! DISGUSTING!!!!!!
HOW MAY LA COLORED PEOPLE ARE IN THIS TOWN? SO WE HAVE D BOYZ, CHICAGO BOYZ AND LA BOYZ… BRING THE KLAN IN!
we gotta clean up this shit hole of a town!! this guy looks like he has a little “DOWNY” in him!!!
WHY DIDNT THE POLICE CHARGE THIS PUKE FOR ANIMAL ABUSE/TORTURE ON TOP OF ALL HIS CHARGES??? HE KILLED THAT POOR DOG INTENTIONALLY!!!!
I’M PISSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!