A city man was taken into custody after allegedly setting a chair inside his home on fire before trying to stop first responders from entering the residence.

Martin P. Haigh I, 43, was arraigned Sunday by Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on three felony counts of aggravated arson, single felony counts of arson, risking catastrophe and endangering the welfare of children, as well as three misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and a misdemeanor count of obstructing the administration of law enforcement. He was remanded to the Blair County Prison in lieu of $1 million bail.

Altoona police were dispatched to a residence along the 1200 block of 15th Avenue about 3 a.m. Sunday to assist with a house fire. On scene, officers saw Haigh standing in the doorway of the home and trying  to prevent firefighters from entering. Haigh then told officers they weren’t permitted to enter the home without a warrant, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

A witness, who resided in the home, told officers she was asleep on the second floor when she heard the smoke alarm. She told another resident to take a child and leave the house, the police report states.

When the witness went to the first floor of the home, it was filled with smoke. The witness told officers she saw Haigh standing over a burning chair and singing “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads, the report states.

Officers noted a layer of soot on the witness’s lips from the heavy smoke. They also noted Haigh as being the only person awake at the time of the fire, according to the affidavit.

Haigh eventually exited the residence and was taken into custody before being transported to UPMC Altoona. Haigh allegedly told officers he “was having a bad day” and tried to put the chair inside the residence’s fireplace “because it was dirty.” The chair was too big to fit through the fireplace opening and it fell out, so he extinguished it, the report states.

Firefighters reported significant damage to the home’s living room and determined that the chair had been intentionally set on fire.

Haigh is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 1 in front of Jones.