El Cajon

A spokesman for the El Cajon Fire Department said Friday that the Feb. 6 fire that killed three people and injured five others living in a home for the mentally disabled apparently was started by someone using newspaper, a cigarette lighter and a flammable liquid to ignite a sofa.

David Allen Giles, 19, a former two-year resident of the Linda Thurman Home, where the fire occurred, is suspected of starting the fire. He is being held without bail after his arrest Thursday on three counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one count of arson.

Fire investigators also have determined that the home’s alarm system was turned off before the blaze broke out, but the spokesman, Lt. Randy Narramore, said Giles is not suspected of tampering with the alarm.

Thurman, former operator of the state-run home, said Friday that she did not believe that Giles could have been involved in setting the fire. “He’s a very nice guy,” Thurman said. “He was working on his life to become more independent.”