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Man arrested for setting fire at Carle Health Methodist Hospital

A police car's lights, which are on. The text "WCBU Police and Fire" are laid on top of that photo.

Peoria Police have arrested a man who allegedly started a fire on an exterior wall of a local hospital.

According to a media release, police arrested 78-year-old Larry A. Peterson for arson, criminal damage to property, reckless conduct and criminal trespass early Saturday morning.

Officers responded to a report of an elderly man who started a fire "near an elevator" at Carle Health Methodist in the 200 block of NE Glen Oak Avenue. The Peoria Fire Department put out the fire shortly after arriving on scene. The police department reports no injuries.

Peterson told police he started the fire to keep warm.

He was taken to the Peoria County Jail.

Collin Schopp is the interim news director at WCBU. He joined the station in 2022.