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Wisconsin Man Blows Up Fuel Tank In Antioch After Unsuccessfully Asking For A Date

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Wisconsin man was arrested Thursday for starting a fire in unincorporated Antioch that caused a fuel tank to explode earlier this month, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

John Nolan, 32, of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, was charged with one felony count of arson and one felony count of criminal damage to property for the April 7 fire.

John Nolan
(Credit: Lake County Sheriff's Office)

Police say Nolan admitted he started the fire after becoming intoxicated and angered he was unsuccessful in asking someone on a date.

Around 4 a.m. on April, Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded to a fire in the 42900 block of North Pedersen Lane. They found a large diesel fuel storage tank and the area surrounding it on fire. The fire was extinguished by Antioch firefighters.

Video surveillance from the homeowners showed a man enter the property, damage items on the lawn and then set fire to the storage tank fuel. The fire caused a large explosion, and the man fled on foot.

Nolan was arrested Thursday at work. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $100,000 bail and is due in court May 14.

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