Calvin Mumper, 32, was arrested by detectives with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office after he admitted to starting a structure fire at 673 Maple St. in Lehigh Saturday morning.

The Webster County Communications Center received a 911 call for the structure fire at 10:08 a.m. Saturday. When deputies arrived, the first floor of the home was engulfed.

According to Webster County Chief Deputy Derek Christie, the resident was then contacted and told deputies that the home was currently vacant.

Upon investigation, deputies were told by numerous individuals that a white Dodge pickup truck had been parked in front of the residence prior to the fire. Other witnesses came forward and identified Mumper as the driver of the truck, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

At 11:20 a.m., officers with the Iowa State Patrol located the vehicle traveling south on Paragon Avenue toward Dayton. Officers initiated a traffic stop at 805 Third St. N.E. in Dayton where Mumper was detained. Mumper also told officers that he had multiple firearms in the vehicle with him.

Once at the Law Enforcement Center, Mumper told detectives that he started the fire with the intent of burning the residence. As a result, Mumper is charged with first-degree arson, a Class B felony.

Mumper is also a suspect in a February fire at his mother’s home in Dayton. On Feb. 3, deputies were dispatched to June Mumper’s home at 302 First St. N.E. in Dayton. The home was fully engulfed when deputies arrived and has been considered a total loss.

During the investigation, June Mumper told officers that she didn’t believe anyone was in the home at the time of the fire, though her son, Calvin Mumper, had been living there off and on.

Mumper was interviewed by detectives following the February fire but made no admissions to starting the fire.

Webster County deputies and detectives interviewed several neighbors and Dayton residents and collected surveillance videos from the night of the February fire. As of press time, no charges have been filed for the fire at June Mumper’s home.

The Webster County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with information on either the Lehigh or Dayton fires contact the Webster County Communications Center at 515-573-2323.