SYRACUSE — A Syracuse teen is facing burglary charges that led to the recent Morrison Island house fire. The house was declared a total loss.

Travys Lee Hise

Travys Lee Hise, 19, 10018 N. Mulberry Drive, Syracuse, was booked for arson, burglary and theft.

On Jan. 30, Turkey Creek Fire Department responded to a house fire belonging to Steven Kelly at Morrison Island on Lake Wawasee. Officers with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department investigated the scene and determined that the fire was set intentionally.

Construction workers in the area advised they had observed two male subjects walking westbound on Morrison Island Road shortly before the fire. The officer was able to locate the subjects and identified one as Hise and the other as a minor male. The minor’s name was retracted from the police reports.

Hise admitted to officers that he and the minor went to the Morrison Island residence and forced entry. He told officers that the minor used a lighter that was located inside the residence to set things on fire. Hise further admitted to “vandalizing” the residence.

The officers were able to locate two lighters that had been used to set the fire at Hise’s residence.

Hise was booked at the Kosciusko County Jail on Feb. 2, with a $20,250 surety and cash bond.

Seen from across Lake Wawasee, a home on Morrison Island was engulfed by flames on Tuesday, Jan. 30.