A man was arrested Monday on arson and extortion charges after he was accused of setting fire to a woman's home on Sherwood Avenue, Bridgeport.

Jonathan Gonzalez, 19, of Maplewood Avenue, Bridgeport, was charged with first-degree arson, larceny by extortion and second-degree threatening.

Police said the woman smelled smoke when she awoke at 2:05 a.m. and fled the home after she saw fire on a rear porch.

The woman escaped unharmed, police said, and firefighters extinguished the blaze.

The woman's daughter and Gonzalez have a child together, police explained.

Arson investigators said they discovered a side of the house untouched by the fire had been doused with gasoline.

An officer reported finding a partially filled container of gasoline in a trashcan on the street.

Officers also found a note attached to the home's gate, in which Gonzalez allegedly threatened to kill the homeowner's family unless she gave him $20,000.

Gonzalez was later arrested at his home.

He was held in lieu of $250,000 bond for an appearance in Bridgeport Superior Court.