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Immokalee woman burns down home after spat with ex-husband

Posted at 10:18 PM, Feb 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-09 22:19:32-05
A fire that displaced several people in Immokalee Tuesday night is arson.
 
Collier County deputies arrested Jesula Francois.  She's accused of setting fire to the home on North 6th Street.
 
Deputies say her ex-husband was living in the home, and Francois used a blanket to torch the place after the two got into an argument.  Candles burning in liquor were also in the home.
 
"I saw what was the fire starting at the edge of this corner, you can see from here that's where the fire started," said Julio Nicholas.
 
Nicholas, who lives next to the home was readying for bed, when he saw flames shooting out of his neighbor's home, flames only feet from his doorstep.
 
"From there, I managed to get the cars to safety because they are full of gas and we had them right by it."
 
According to deputies, Francois accused her ex-husband of practicing Voodo in the home.
the two argued and she began smashing things before starting the fire.
 
"There's other ways of resolving marital problems," said Nicholas.
 
Everyone evacuated safely from the home, Nicholas says Francois is lucky her actions didn't kill anyone.
 
"Right now I have six tanks of propane, because I have a coin laundry of my own, if that caught fire it could have caused a big explosion."
 
Nicholas said three women inside this home that were displaced because of the fire, and need a place to stay.