5/8/21 A homeless man faces charges that he started a fire inside an electrical box in downtown Iowa City, causing over $1,000 in damage. Iowa City Police were called to the alley between Apartments Near Campus and Szechuan House on the 300 block of East Burlington Street just after 8pm Thursday for a man starting a fire inside an electrical distribution box. The fire was still smoldering when police arrived. The suspect, identified as 49-year-old transient Brian Yauk, was still on the scene. Police say he admitted to igniting the blaze by lighting cardboard on fire beneath the box. Damage is estimated at $1,500.