Jon Streckenbach Told Police He Used Torch To Remove Home's Cobwebs, Now Arrested For Arson

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- A 39-year-old man told authorities he was using a propane torch to remove cobwebs from underneath a home north of Longmont on Monday when a fire started. He has since been arrested and charged with arson.

Jon Charles Streckenbach was also charged with felony criminal mischief and violation of a protection order. He was booked into the Boulder County Jail late Monday night, hours after the fire. He has a planned court appearance today.

CBS4 has learned Streckenbach was the subject of a permanent restraining order granted in September 2019 to a 56-year-old Lori Streckenbach. Public records indicate Lori Streckenbach's residence is in the same block as Monday's house fire.

The affidavit from Jon Streckenbach's arrest on Monday states that Lori Streckenbach is Jon's mother. Despite the existing protection order, "Lori has been allowing Jon to stay at the residence for approximately one year since Jon is homeless," the Boulder County Sheriff's Office investigator stated in the affidavit. The protection order required Jon Streckenbach to stay 100 yards away from his mother and her residence.

A small bag of white substance was found in Jon Streckenbach's pants pocket as he was being booked into the jail, the affidavit stated. That substance tested positive for methamphetamine.

Firefighters from three fire departments converged on the home north of Longmont, in the 8800 block of Vermillion Road, Monday afternoon. Jon Streckenbach called dispatchers and said he was unable to extinguish a fire he had ignited.

He explained to investigators that he was cleaning up cobwebs with a propane torch under the house when a fire flashed out of control.

Fire personnel saw smoke coming from the roof of the single-story home when they first arrived on scene. The fire was out within an hour.

Damage to the home was estimated at $100,000.

Jon Streckenbach suffered minor smoke inhalation but was otherwise uninjured, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office stated in a press release.

According to the arrest affidavit, he tried to put out the fire by himself for an hour before calling for help.

Lyons, Hygiene and Longmont fire departments responded to the call along with BCSO and AMR Ambulance.

Jon Streckenbach's most recent address is shown in Longmont in 2018.

Jon Streckenbach was scheduled for an advisement Wednesday afternoon, but that hearing was pushed back to Thursday.