Suspect Arrested For Fire At 29 W. Franklin St.

Evansville Police arrested 31 year old CHRISTOPHER COMPTON on multiple charges following the deadly fire at 29 W. Franklin on Monday afternoon.

Emergency crews were sent to the apartment building around 4:25 after passers-by saw smoke coming from building. Four people were able to get out of the building by jumping from a 2nd story window. Three of them remain hospitalized and the 4th was treated and released. More details about their identities and injuries will be released on Tuesday.

After crews from the Evansville Fire Department were able to get into the upstairs apartment, they found three deceased victims. Officials are waiting for the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office to complete their autopsies tomorrow before releasing any details about the deceased victims.

Shortly after arriving on scene, EPD Officers were given information that implicated Compton in the fire. He was located by Officers near Heidelbach and Illinois. He was taken to headquarters were he was interviewed by Detectives. Following his interview, he was arrested on multiple charges. They include 3 counts of Murder – Class A Felony and 4 counts of Arson with injury- Class A Felony.

He will be held at the Vanderburgh County Jail without bond. His initial court date has not been set yet. The investigation is continuing, but no additional arrests are expected. Due to the sensitive nature and the scope of this tragedy, we will not be making the full police report available until after the autopsies are performed on Tuesday morning. That is being done to ensure proper notification of the victims’ families. We appreciate everyone’s understanding in this case.