RAPIDES PARISH - The State Fire Marshal's Office (SFM) says it has arrested a man for allegedly starting a fire in a Pineville motel over the weekend.

According to SFM representatives, on Saturday (Nov. 7) night, 36-year-old Emile Gashette of Pineville, intentionally started a fire in a trash bin at the Sleep Inn motel in the 3400 block of Pineville's Monroe Highway.

The fire, though contained to the common area where it was started, caused a severe disruption in the hotel, forcing nearly 90 people, including guests and staff, to evacuate.

Officials say the blaze did not cause any injuries, and damages were limited to the waste basket in which it was started and the surrounding carpet.

SFM officials and the Pineville Police Department, arrested Gashette after he was pinpointed by eyewitnesses at the motel and shortly thereafter apprehended at a nearby convenience store.

He was booked him into the Rapides Parish Jail on one count of aggravated arson.