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Boston Mom Charged With Starting Blaze

BOSTON (AP) — A Boston woman has been ordered to undergo mental health evaluation after being charged with starting a fire at her apartment that trapped her adult daughter and the daughter's boyfriend.

Forty-nine-year-old Lisa Brown pleaded not guilty Monday to charges including attempted murder and arson. Her bail was set at $250,000.

Prosecutors said Brown set the fire at about 4 a.m. Sunday after arguing with her 21-year-old daughter and the daughter's 21-year-old boyfriend, and later threatened them with a knife. They were trapped in a bedroom, and rescued through a window by firefighters. Both were treated for smoke inhalation.

A fire department official says the blaze caused about $25,000 in damage.

Brown's nephew Antonio Stroud told The Boston Globe she is a "sweet, loving lady" who has struggled with poverty and health issues.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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