TULSA, Okla. — Update (09/11/2024) - Willie Marshall was arrested on Monday for first-degree arson after investigators said he set fire to his girlfriend’s apartment near 61st and Peoria in Tulsa, putting her and her kids in danger.

FOX23 spoke with Tulsa Fire Marshal Chuck French about the investigation.

French said they put out the fire within minutes.

It was in the hours that followed that he said their arson dog and a Tulsa Police K9 helped get the suspect off the street.

The apartment may look untouched, but on Monday around 5 a.m., firefighters said smoke and flames were coming out of the building, which created a dangerous situation.

“Luckily, a good Samaritan neighbor had heard fighting and screaming going on next door. Because of that fire, police were notified early. So we got there early enough to prevent it from leaving the unit,” French said.

French said the investigation unfolded quickly.

They spoke to witnesses and also had help from their arson dog, Annie, who they said found quite a bit of evidence in the apartment.

“Witnesses said that he was pouring lighter fluid and tried to set the apartment on fire with his girlfriend inside,” French said.

Arson Annie is a small pup with a big job. In partnership with the ATF, Annie serves as an accelerant detection dog and French said she is out on the job quite a bit.

“Because of our partnership with ATF, she’s also called out to other cities and other towns. If we get a call out really anywhere in this area of Oklahoma, she gets to go. She’s requested a lot,” French said. “Sometimes even an accelerant, if we can’t smell it with our human senses, it helps us find out if it was actually in there and utilized. So it is a big asset to us.”

FOX23 first told you about Annie in 2021 shortly after her arrival. At the time, her handler showed us how she works.

“She puts her nose right on the spot of where it is and then she sits. I feed her and then I ask her again just to verify that is where she is alerting,” said Adrienne Seibel, Annie’s handler.

French said they aren’t sure exactly why the fire was started, but they do know it happened after Marshall and his girlfriend had a fight.

Marshall’s girlfriend wasn’t the only one who lived there.

“There were two children that lived there and they were able to get out before anything happened to them,” French said.

French said while the fire was put out in minutes, the search for the suspect took a bit longer.

Arson investigators teamed up with Tulsa Police to look for Marshall and about 12 hours into the search they found him, all thanks to another crime-fighting dog.

French said a Tulsa Police K9 sniffed out Marshall hiding in thick brush.

Marshall was booked in the Tulsa County jail and faces charges of arson, eluding and resisting arrest.

Tulsa fire investigators are sifting through clues after a fire broke out at a two-story apartment complex early Monday morning near 61st and Peoria.

The fire is being investigated as an arson.

The American Red cross responded to the scene to help displaced residents.

No injuries were reported.