His ex broke up with him, so a Tri-Cities man torched the house she was buying, police say

A Burbank man is accused of burning down a house his ex-girlfriend was planning to buy.

Todd J. Gaines, 38, threatened to torch the house on Schumacher private road outside of Benton City the week after the break-up, according to court records.

At the time, people didn’t believe he would follow through.

But less than two weeks ago, at 9 p.m. on May 26, neighbors heard an explosion and saw a pickup speeding away as flames engulfed the Benton City house, about 20 miles west of the Tri-Cities.

Now a $100,000 nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for Gaines, who has avoided police since the fire destroyed the home, patio and shed on the 10-acre lot. He is charged of first-degree arson.

His mother and ex-girlfriend said he had been erratic in the week before the fire.

Along with threatening the Schumacher Road home, he told them he planned to die by suicide and said he would set fire to his mother’s house as well.

Gaines has a history of threats, according to court records.

In the past seven years, six people and companies in Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties have filed for protection from Gaines in some form, according to court records.

That includes a 2019 incident where he went to a Pasco woman’s home after she stopped dating him and slashed the tires on her work vehicle.

Benton City house fire

Before the Benton City house burned, Gaines had sent the owner a text message that convinced her that he was watching the house, Deputy Prosecutor Brian Hultgrenn wrote in court records.

Gaines and the homeowner knew each other, and she was in the process of selling her house to his ex-girlfriend.

The dramatic fire was visible across Benton City. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to the surrounding sagebrush and grass, but weren’t able to save the structures.

The charred remains of the home collapsed after firefighters worked for two hours to get the flames under control.

The pickup, described as a dually with a double set of rear tires, was seen leaving the area shortly after the fire. It matched the description of one that Gaines had access to, but wasn’t supposed to be driving, said court documents.

Gaines has a pending DUI case and is not allowed to use any vehicle that isn’t equipped with an ignition interlock device.

A $1,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest.

Anyone with information about Gaines’ location is asked to call the sheriff’s office through the non-emergency dispatch number 509-628-0333.

This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 12:58 PM.