Milwaukee man charged with arson, following 15 fires to homes and garbage bins

A 35-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged with arson following a spree where 15 fires were set in one morning, including to occupied residences and garbage bins near structures.

Breonteze S. Little was charged Monday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

Several residents were displaced or have to consider moving due to the fires. No one was injured in the fires, but one firefighter suffered minor injuries fighting a blaze.

Little was charged with one count of arson and bail jumping, both felonies. The charge stems from a fire in the 4500 block of West Lisbon Avenue. Police said the other fires are still under investigation.

According to a criminal complaint:

New owners took over the former Ralph’s Coffee Bar at 4538 W. Lisbon Ave. in April and had been working on renovations. Shortly after 7:30 a.m. on June 18, one of the owners spotted a fire from paper towels burning in the foyer entrance beneath the mail slot. He said the fire was just beginning to catch the carpet underneath it.

Contractors for the renovations put out the fire and a fire scene examination was conducted by Milwaukee police. The detective said the mail slot exhibited signs of fire-related damages with sections of the carpeting being melted or charred.

The detective determined the fire was set intentionally by igniting paper towels soaked in combustibles and dropping it in the mail slot.

Police gathered surveillance footage from the surrounding neighborhood and used facial recognition software to identify Little.

Police said Little went to District Three police station earlier that morning to report a child custody issue involving his child’s mother and was wearing the same clothes.

Little has multiple prior felony convictions and was currently out on $1,000 bail after being charged earlier this year with possession of a firearm as a felon. He showed up to a hearing at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on Thursday and was arrested on suspicion of arson.

In the morning of June 18, the Milwaukee Fire Department put out 15 fires in the area of North 49th Street and West Lisbon Avenue, then later near North Ninth and West Hadley streets.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said at a press conference that four houses were burned, two of which were occupied.

One resident, Mary Spadafora, told the Journal Sentinel that she’d likely sell her home. “If it’s salvageable, I’ll try and fix it, but I’m probably going to sell it,” she said. “I probably don’t feel comfortable living here anymore.” Spadafora recently finished repairing the home following a fire last year.

Prosecutors said Little set fires to dwellings and garbage bins near structures or in alleys. In most cases, he was captured on video wearing the same clothing, prosecutors said. He does not yet have a permanent attorney listed.