There are many causes of state crimes including familial and financial stress. One 52-year-old Missouri man is accused of arson after allegedly having a stresss-related mental breakdown while home alone in his O'Fallon residence.

"It appears like it was just one of those reactions - the person got overstressed," a St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney said. "According to what he told police, he just lost it."

The man allegedly started breaking items while in the home and then burned pictures on the kitchen island of his home. The man set the pictures on fire and added gasoline from a plastic gas can. The man then drove away and was unreachable for several hours after the blaze started. A lighter and gas can were used to set the fire and were confiscated as evidence, although it appears that the man will not contest that he set the fire.

It should also be noted that no humans appear to have been endangered during this blaze. The man's wife was out of town and his kids were at school. It is unclear what exactly caused the stress that led to the man's breakdown. The tough economic times make situations like this not wholly uncommon as many people face serious financial and martial stress. The man told police that he was "under a lot of stress from daily life" and it is unclear whether he went into further detail with officers.

Firefighters battled the flames for a few hours to get them under control. The home was built in 1999 and was worth around $251,973. It is unclear whether it was for sale at the time of the blaze.

The family's three dogs managed to escape the burning home through a window that broke during the fire.

Source: Post-Dispatch, "O'Fallon, Mo. man charged with arson for allegedly burning down his home," Valerie Schremp Hahn, Feb. 2, 2012