Fire caused $108,000 in damage; started with tampon and stolen lighters, police say
A 25-year-old Utah woman was arrested on a count of aggravated arson after authorities said she set fire to a Latter-day Saints church in Kaysville on July 10 — one day before she was scheduled to marry there. The fire caused an estimated $108,000 in damage before bystanders extinguished it, according to court documents.
Moreno, her groom and family members were setting up inside the Kaysville church for the next day’s wedding when the fire broke out, the documents cited by Utah news outlet KUTV show. The family said they were about to leave when the fire alarm sounded. A bystander put out the flames with water from wedding decorations, and another used a fire extinguisher.
Investigators determined the fire appeared to have been started under a chair using items that were “out of the ordinary, including what appeared to be a tampon,” court records state.
The groom told detectives he and Moreno had been in the room where the fire started and that they had visited an Ace Hardware store earlier that day, according to KUTV. Police contacted the store, and employees provided video footage showing Moreno walking toward the lighter display, taking an unknown number of lighters and concealing them on her person, the documents say. Moreno admitted stealing from the store but would not disclose what she took, police said.
A probable cause statement said Moreno had not obtained a marriage license for her wedding and had lied to officers, telling them she had. In addition to aggravated arson, Moreno was booked on counts of retail theft and providing false information to a peace officer. She was being held without bail as of Tuesday.
The U.S. event insurance company Eventsure estimates that 15 to 20 percent of weddings are called off. While a change of heart is not covered under a policy, the company’s guidance notes that cancellation insurance can protect against fires and other unforeseen events.