BATON ROUGE - A man has been arrested for arson after a fire in May caused millions in damages and posed a "significant threat to human life."

Fire investigators arrested James Peck, 49, on Wednesday for two counts of aggravated arson. 

Peck is allegedly tied to a fire that happened on May 19, 2024 on South Harrell's Ferry Road at a storage facility. Witnesses initially told investigators they saw Peck inside the facility. The witnesses hid inside their unit while Peck began yelling slurs and banging on the door. 

Minutes later, the witnesses said smoke began to seep from under the door. When they tried to open the door, they found it was wedged shut from the outside. 

Both witnesses were able to make it out safely. The fire caused approximately $2 million in damages, investigators said.