An 85-year-old Liliha woman, suspected of setting fire Wednesday morning to her rental home, is scheduled to appear this afternoon in Honolulu District Court for a preliminary hearing on the charge of first-degree arson.

Court documents say Beverly Reiko Shimabukuro was to be evicted Thursday, the day after the fire, from the house she rented at 1662 Olona Lane, and allegedly confessed to lighting a fire in her closet that morning.

Police said Shimabukuro was standing in a neighbor’s carport across the street from the burning house as firefighters were putting out the blaze.

The police declaration attached to the criminal complaint said the arresting officer overheard Shimabukuro tell an Emergency Medical Services supervisor, who was taking her vital signs, “I started the fire. I piled up a few stuff in my closet, poured some kind of liquid on it, poured water around the pile so that it would stay and lit it on fire.”

Officer Lola Goeas, who had been standing 4 feet away when she heard Shimabukuro make the confession, arrested the 85-year-old at 8:05 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of first- degree arson. She was charged Friday by written complaint.

Shimabukuro remains in custody at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, unable to post $50,000 bail.

According to a complaint filed in District Court, damage to the house was more than $20,000. An estimate by Honolulu Fire Department investigators put the damage at $122,000 to the property and $3,000 to its contents.

HFD said it determined the fire was incendiary and that it originated in the bedroom. HFD received a 911 call at 7:24 a.m. and found smoke and flames emanating from the single-story house. The fire was brought under control by 7:32 a.m.

The owner of the house, Marian Soo, told another officer she gave Shimabukuro an eviction notice earlier and that the 85-year-old needed to vacate the house by Thursday.

The officer did a pat-down of the 85-year-old and discovered a lighter in the front pocket of her shirt.

The officer took the lighter and the clothes Shimabukuro was wearing for analysis as possible evidence.