A Uniontown man has been charged with arson after setting fire to a vacant house and a van in attempt to kill himself.

John A. Mack, 49, who is homeless but stays in Uniontown, allegedly confessed to the crimes to Uniontown police while being treated at a hospital for burns to his hands, arms, legs, head and face.

“It pulled on the heartstrings a little,” said Tom Kolencik, Lt. with Uniontown police. “He openly admitted that he was trying to kill himself. He gave me a long history of his life about how difficult it’s been for him and about his addiction to more than one drug.”

Kolencik said Mack told him he tried to set himself on fire at a vacant house on East Main Street’s 300 block on Friday night.

“When that didn’t work, he said he tried the vehicle thinking it would blow up,” Kolencik said.

“But then, in his words, he said, ‘It wasn’t my day to die.’ So he tried to get out of there before he got in trouble.”

Initial reports of the fire indicated there were two structures on fire.

Kolencik said police later learned the flames came from a vacant house and a van parked in a car lot across the street.

Kolencik said witnesses saw Mack walking away from the fire shortly after it had been reported to 911 around 9:20 p.m. Friday.

Mack turned up in an emergency room about an hour later with burns, Kolencik said.

Mack is being treated for his burn wounds at a local hospital.

He will face two counts of arson, two counts of criminal mischief and one count of burglary, according to court records.

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