Muncie man charged with arson in Dunkirk house fire

PORTLAND, Ind. — A Muncie man is accused of setting a fire in a Dunkirk home owned by his mother.

Dana L. Zimmerman, 40, was charged in recent days in Jay Circuit Court with arson, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison.

According to court documents, Zimmerman was living in the house, in the 200 block of Mount Auburn Street, at the time of the April 19 blaze.

He has more recently lived in Muncie, although court documents stemming from the arson charge also list him at a Terre Haute address.

In an affidavit, an investigator with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said a fire was ignited under the kitchen sink of the Dunkirk home where Zimmerman was staying in April.

"The Dunkirk Fire Department observed the water line under the wink had melted and put the fire out," he wrote. Investigators also said they found a gasoline can in a hallway in the house.

Zimmerman, who reported the blaze to 911 dispatchers, on that day denied playing any role in causing the fire.

However, during an interview conducted in May, he reportedly acknowledged he had sprinkled gasoline under the sink and then used a cigarette lighter to ignite the blaze.

Zimmerman was 'very cooperative and was apologetic for setting (the) house on fire," the investigator wrote, adding the former Dunkirk resident "couldn't explain why he set the fire."

A family member interviewed as part of the investigation indicated the fire took place at a time Zimmerman had been "distraught." The birthday of his deceased brother had been observed earlier in the month.

In each of four pending cases filed in Grant County courts between 2020 and May 22, Zimmerman is charged with driving while suspended.

Court records reflect no convictions for him.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Man charged with arson in Dunkirk house fire