A Schuylkill County man was jailed on Wednesday charged with setting a fire that damaged three residences, leaving eight people homeless.

State police at Frackville said Dennis Antonelli, 39, of Sheppton, set fire to a home at 66 Third St., in Oneida, East Union Township, on Tuesday evening.

Troopers said Antonelli, who confessed to the crime, set on fire the home of his girlfriend. At the time three adults and two children were in the residences.

Firefighters from two counties assisted the Sheppton-Oneida Fire Company in extinguishing the blaze, which started at 5:19 p.m. Damages were extensive to 66 Third St. and less to homes at 68 and 72 Third St.

Troopers said Antonelli admitted starting the fire with a lighter and paper in a bedroom of the home. He has been charged with three felony counts each of arson and criminal mischief along with a felony count of risking a catastrophe and five misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.

Antonelli was arraigned on the charges early Wednesday morning by on-call District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua.

Antonelli was unable to post 10% of the $50,000 bail set by Bayer and is incarcerated in the county prison in Pottsville.