JACKSON COUNTY — A Carbondale man was recently sentenced to serve 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release, after pleading guilty to an aggravated arson charge back last month.

Jackson County State’s Attorney Michael Carr says during the early morning hours of Aug. 28, 2017, 46-year-old Keelan R. Bush purchased a lighter and gasoline and used them to start a fire at a home on Burke Street in Carbondale.

Bush lit a bundle of sticks on fire in the front of the home and lit paper items on fire near the door of the home. A local citizen saw the flames and called 911. Individuals, including children, were present in the home when the fire started. They were safely evacuated.

The Carbondale Police and Fire Departments investigated the incident.