ELYRIA — When fire trucks rolled up in front of Target just before 3:30 p.m. Friday, they weren’t looking for the hottest prices of the year.

But firefighters did find the smoldering remains of a rack of lingerie.

Police say Tabitha Bozman, 19, of Elyria, lit the underwear as she attempted to shoplift from the West River Road store. As a result, she was charged with aggravated arson, vandalism, inducing panic, theft, criminal tools and criminal damage.

Security cameras caught Bozman toying with the inside of her jacket as she wandered through the shoe department, according to a police report. There was nobody in the lingerie section near her when a rack holding 155 flannel undergarments —worth $2,168.45 —went up in flames, according to the report.

A Target security guard stopped Bozman on suspicion of shoplifting before police arrived, the report said.

Elyria fire Lt. David Street said store employees grabbed fire extinguishers and put out the flames. No one was hurt, but the store was evacuated and closed for more than an hour while the ventilation system cleared away smoke that hung over the aisles.

Management declined to comment on how the fire started or how much damage it caused.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

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