GENEV, Fla. — A Seminole County man is accused of pouring gasoline inside his home and setting it on fire while 11 dogs were trapped inside, according to an arrest report.
Terrance Fredrick Banks, 40, faces one count of second-degree arson and 11 counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
The fire started around 9:30 a.m. Monday at a home on Snow Hill Road in Geneva. Seminole County firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, state fire marshal investigators and animal control officers responded.
Investigators said the home was destroyed and left uninhabitable.
Five dogs were found dead near the front of the home. A sixth escaped but later died on the front lawn, according to the report.
Animal control officers rescued four dogs, and a neighbor found a fifth dog alive. Investigators said all five surviving dogs suffered serious burns, smoke inhalation or other injuries and needed emergency veterinary care.
Some of the dogs were locked in crates and could not escape the fire or smoke, deputies said.
Banks told investigators that 19 dogs had been inside the home. Authorities had accounted for 11 when the arrest report was completed.
According to the report, Banks made unsolicited comments to responding deputies about setting the fire and asked law enforcement officers to take him to jail.
Investigators allege Banks intentionally poured gasoline inside the home before setting it on fire. Portions of his statement following his arrest were redacted from the publicly released report.
No people were injured.
Banks was arrested Monday afternoon. He was ordered held without bond on the arson charge pending his first court appearance. Bond for the 11 animal cruelty charges totaled $27,500.
The Sheriff’s Office requested GPS monitoring if Banks is released from jail.
The State Fire Marshal’s investigation remains active, and authorities were awaiting the results of a search warrant when the arrest report was completed.
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