A man has admitted to helping set a 2016 fire in Weatherly which destroyed two homes and heavily damaged another.

Felix Larrinaga Sanchez testified in district court on Wednesday that he and another man doused the vacant home at 234 Third St. in gasoline and ignited it in the early hours of Aug. 6, 2016.

Two families who lived next door managed to escape their homes before they were heavily damaged. They also testified about the unlikely series of events which allowed them to escape the fire.

The fire caused more than $1 million in damage.

Sanchez, who is facing arson charges and is out on bail, was testifying against the man who police say masterminded the crime, Roberto Torner.

Torner is currently awaiting sentencing in federal prison on drug and weapons charges with a potential life sentence stemming from a raid at his business in Freeland in 2017.

But he has also been charged, along with his companion, Liza Robles, by Weatherly Police for allegedly conspiring to set up the arson.

The two men who police believe set the fire, Sanchez and David Alzugary-Lugones, are also facing charges.

Sanchez was wanted but turned himself in to prosecutors in December. He is currently out on $1 million unsecured bail.

At a preliminary hearing for Torner on Wednesday, prosecutors presented the victims, a man who allegedly drove the arsonists to the scene, two victims, and the police officer whose quick actions may have saved the life of a 2-year-old girl and her parents.

Following the hearing, judge Joseph Homanko dismissed a charge of insurance fraud against Torner, who filed a claim and received money from the fire.

Sanchez, who admitted he was testifying in hopes of getting a lighter sentence, said that he and Torner were lifelong friends. In 2016, Sanchez was between jobs when Torner asked him to help him to help resolve a problem with tenants who weren’t paying rent.

He said eventually Torner instructed him to set a fire at the house in exchange for $5,000. He said that Torner arranged for a can of gas to be at the house. He recalled meeting with Torner two days before the fire and Torner instructing him to hit each interior wall of the building with gasoline, starting on the top floor and finishing in the kitchen.

Sanchez said the night of the fire he got a ride from Donald Warren, one of Torner’s tenants. He said they spent about 30 minutes inside the house before David lit a paper in the kitchen and ignited the gas.

“It was such a whoosh of flames, it singed me. I didn’t expect it. I froze and panicked. David ran, and I followed David,” he said.

Two doors down from the home, John Ursta was sleeping with his window open when he was awakened at 2:36 a.m. by the sounds of men speaking and running in front of his home. His immediate thought was that the tenants of 228, who left two weeks earlier, had returned. But when he went to investigate, he saw the home was engulfed in flames. He and his family evacuated and called 911.

Weatherly Police Officer Vince Morrow was on duty and was dispatched to the scene. Ursta told Morrow that there was a family sleeping in the house between his and the burning one.

“It became my immediate priority to get that family out,” Morrow said.

Morrow said Ursta informed him that 234, the burning home, was not occupied, but Morrow still yelled inside to see if anyone could hear.

Morrow then went to the front porch and banged on the door. He said he was hit with heavy black smoke which took his breath away and he had to throw himself off the porch. He then went to the back door. He also disconnected a propane tank.

Meanwhile Christi Clarke was sleeping inside the home with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.

Clarke heard Morrow’s knocking and went to the front door shielding her daughter. When she opened it, she was hit with the black smoke. She then saw Morrow at the back door and ran out with her daughter. Her husband grabbed their dog.

She said she remained near the scene but couldn’t bear to watch as the fire claimed her home.

“We didn’t realize it at that moment, but we would never have anything back from our house,” Clarke said.

It would be a year before the Clarkes could return to their home and about five months for the Urstas.

John Ursta recalled he was visiting the scene in November when they were tearing down the homes. He said Torner happened to be there. While Ursta’s wife was taking pictures, Ursta recalled that Torner said to him, “You better be careful that a brick doesn’t fall on your wife’s head.”

Clarke and Ursta got emotional during their testimony talking about Clarke’s daughter. Clarke said that she is now in kindergarten and is a normal kid. But for a time following the fire, she thought that every time the family left home, they were potentially never coming back.

“I was just thankful that we got her out,” she said.

Following the hearing, defense attorney Brian Collins said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said he had questions about the credibility of Sanchez, who admitted to setting the fire and that he was hoping to get a lighter sentence for testifying against Torner.

Torner is locked up in federal prison awaiting his sentencing in federal court. The arson charges will now be sent to county court.