Dollar General employee charged with setting fire in Paducah store

A Paducah woman was arrested Wednesday after police said she set fire to a Dollar General bathroom.

Paducah police said an employee of the Dollar General store on South Third Street called the store manager at 4:30 p.m. and said she smelled smoke. The manager told 22-year-old Tailiyah Patterson of Paducah to check the bathroom, where Patterson reportedly discovered a fire.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and a detective was called in to investigate. He said the fire appeared to have been deliberately set by Patterson while customers were still in the store.

Police said she admitted to the fire Thursday and was arrested and charged with arson.