KINGSTON, Pa. — Lisa Starruick-Smalls was arrested late Wednesday afternoon after admitting to police that she intentionally started a deadly fire at Green Acres Apartments in Kingston.
According to court paperwork, Starruick-Smalls was placed inside an ambulance to be checked out after being found outside her apartment when emergency crews arrived.
It was then that she admitted to starting the fire, saying, "I'm going to hell; I did it. There's no such thing as insanity; I started the fire."
Starruick-Smalls later told police that she tried to wake her husband, Wilbert Small, but couldn't and left the building without him and without warning her neighbors.
Police say Wilbert Smalls was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
"This has been a quiet community, very nice, that's why I moved in here, and everything, it was so nice and quiet," said Frank Makaravage.
Makaravage and his wife live on the opposite side of where the fire started and was awakened by pounding on their front door and people shouting to get out.
"t was scary because police were banging on the doors and telling everybody they had to vacate the building; it was on fire. I use a walker, and we went out here with the other people, and we were just all watching saw the trucks, and fire and smoke was really bad," Makaravage said.
"I seen that there were a bunch of fire trucks, ambulance, and police departments here," added Shanice McNeil.
McNeil lives in one of the neighboring apartment buildings and was shocked at what happened in her community.
"To know that we kind of have someone like that living around us, but I'm not surprised because you don't really know people," McNeil said.
After Starruick-Smalls was arrested, investigators are now waiting for an autopsy to determine how her husband died.
Starruick-Smalls' bail was denied, and she is currently locked up in Luzerne County prison.
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