Woman sets Miami house on fire with family inside, police say

Officers arrested a woman on Monday who is accused of setting a house on fire at 317 NW 65th St. Photo by Local 10 News Photojournalist Mario Alonso. (Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

MIAMI – Tamika Amanda Dorsett is accused of setting a house on fire while her family was inside.

Officers arrested Dorsett, 36, on Monday at 317 NW 65th St., in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood. She remained at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Tuesday night.

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Tamika Amanda Dorsett (MPD)

According to the arrest form, Dorsett was pouring lighter fluid on the floor while she appeared to be having hallucinations.

Dorsett’s husband told police officers he was sleeping on the couch on the first floor when he woke up to her saying the neighbor’s kids were inside and she needed them out.

Firefighters determined the fire destroyed the family's home in Little Haiti. (Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

There were two others on the second floor — including their 9-year-old son — when Dorsett started the fire, police said. Her husband made sure everyone got out of the house, police said.

No one was injured. Miami firefighters later determined their unit wasn’t safe to live in after the fire.

Dorsett is facing charges of first-degree arson, child abuse with no great bodily harm, and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Read the excerpts from the arrest form

MPD (MPD)

About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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