Utah Woman Started Apartment Complex Fire To ‘Burn Away The Negative Energy’ & ‘Pain In Her Life’: Police

A Utah woman was charged with arson after she tried to “burn away the negative energy” and “pain in her life” by setting her apartment complex on fire, police said.

Around 3:00 a.m. on March 5, officers were investigating a fire at the building in Sandy when 37-year-old Crystal Nicole Moss approached them, KUTV-TV reported.

Moss told officers she was the person responsible for starting the fire that left residents displaced, and police detained her, according to authorities.

Officers and fire personnel spoke with Moss, who admitted to using a lighter to ignite a “tree of life” that she then placed inside a cauldron near her bedroom closet, officials said.

Moss allegedly said “it was difficult to ignite the tree of life, so she poured a bottle of alcohol on it to speed up the process,” according to police reports.

She claimed to want to get rid of the negativity, sadness and pain in her life when she lit the fire and "wanted to burn the universe, but didn’t want to hurt anyone,” officers said.

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Police asked Moss if she tried to warn any neighbors of her plans before setting the fire and she said she did not, according to authorities.

After allegedly sparking the blaze, police reports state Moss attempted to bang on the garage door of a nearby fire department but didn't receive any response.

Moss was arrested and charged with one count of arson and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.