Investigators have charged a Wright City man with allegedly starting a fire in his house with a woman and children still inside.

Craig J. Dorman, 39, was charged last week with first-degree arson and two counts of abuse or neglect of a child, all of which are class B felonies. Dorman is accused of starting the fire overnight in his home on Legolas Lane on Sept. 19, 2020, according a Wright City Police report.

A police detective and a state fire marshall were called to investigate the fire after it was determined to have suspicious origins. A woman at the house told investigators that she and Dorman had a late night fight that became physical, after which she went to the bedroom and went to sleep.

The woman told police she awoke to the sound of the fire alarms. She woke her sleeping children, who are 9 and 13, and took them outside.

The fire marshall examined the origin of the fire in the basement of the home, and determined it had been deliberately started, according to Wright City police. The fire was set directly under the bedroom where the woman was sleeping.

Both of the children were interviewed after the fire and described experiencing the symptoms of smoke inhalation as they were led out of the house.

A warrant was issued for Dorman’s arrest on Feb. 23. His warrant includes no bond until he is seen by a judge.