BEDFORD - A Bedford volunteer firefighter has been arrested for attempted arson and attempted homicide after setting fire to the home of his ex-girlfriend and her parents, Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins said Wednesday.
Terry Lee Sykes, 39, allegedly set fire to the back porch of the residence on East Pitt Street in Bedford early Monday morning using charcoal lighter fluid he brought to the scene, Higgins said. A neighbor saw Sykes and then the fire and called police. The neighbor was able to put the fire out.
Sykes was arrested shortly after the fire because of the eyewitness' identification. He is in the Bedford County Prison in lieu of $3 million bail.
Sykes, who moved to the area about a year ago from Seattle, has been suspended from the fire department, Higgins said. The breakup with his girlfriend was recent, although further details were unavailable until Higgins' office spoke with the victim.
The girlfriend lived in one apartment and her parents in another inside the large, older home.
Higgins said the severity of the crime and felony charges of attempted homicide and attempted arson will be key to the prosecution of the case.
"He could have killed three people, and we're not going to forget that when we prosecute," he said.
There were no injuries in the fire, which caused only minimal damage, Bedford Borough Police Officer Rick Kinsinger said. The fire was knocked down before the fire department arrived.
Sykes had recently been hurt at work and was also inactive from the department at the time, Kinsinger said.
A preliminary hearing for Sykes will be held Wednesday at Bedford County Central Court.
Mirror Staff Writer Wendy Zook is at 946-7520.
