A homeowner has been arrested on charges of arson and animal cruelty after a fire in Nederland.

Police noticed the smell of smoke on Tuesday at approximately 1:53 a.m., a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office release said. Their investigation led them to a fully-engulfed, two-story home on Wolf Tongue Court.

Multiple fire departments fought the fire, eventually extinguishing it. Fire personnel searched the home but couldn’t find any occupants. The homeowner’s whereabout were unknown at the time, the press release said.

No fire or law enforcement personnel were injured in the event.

A dog was found deceased in the home following the fire. 

Police found the homeowner, 30-year-old Jarrod Rothwell, and he admitted to “playing with a butane lighter that caught clothes on fire in the basement of the residence,” the release said.

The homeowner did not attempt to rescue the dog or notify responders to help rescue the dog, inadvertently leading to its death.

“This lack of action resulted in a charge of animal cruelty,” the department said.

Rothwell was arrested and booked in the Boulder County Jail on charges of 4th degree arson and cruelty to animals.

The Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team is set to investigate the cause of the fire following a search warrant.