Police: Monday fire in downtown St. Joseph was arson

sj-fire-3-500x225679645-1
sj-fire-3-500x225679645-1

Police say a fire in downtown St. Joseph on Monday was arson. The St. Joseph Department of Public Safety was dispatched to the apartment fire at 415 Main Street around 2 p.m. and found smoke coming out of the upper floor windows in a building that includes apartments on the second floor and businesses on the first floor. The blaze was extinguished and public safety determined it had started when a couch was set on fire. The building suffered extensive damage. After an investigation, a 47-year-old woman was arrested for first degree arson and child endangerment. Shannon Marie Russell was to be arraigned today on the charges. There were no injuries in the fire.