Firefighters had been sent to the 200 block of East Woodrow Place just after 1:30 p.m.

They put out a couch that had been set on fire and were approached by John Andrew Davis, Fire Department spokesman Bill French said.

Davis, 59, allegedly threw a bucket at the firefighters and hit Rick Reed on the elbow twice with a large crowbar. Other firefighters subdued Davis and held him on the ground until police arrived, French said.

Reed suffered minor injuries and went back to work later that day.

Workers at the nearby John 3:16 Mission told authorities that Davis is mentally unstable and homeless. He frequents the area and often receives meals at the mission, French said.

Davis was booked into the Tulsa Jail on complaints of assaulting a firefighter, resisting arrest and starting an illegal open fire. His bail was set at $5,450, jail records indicate.

Davis has a history of setting fires, French said.

Court records indicate that he was charged with first-degree arson in 2006, but the charge was later dismissed.

“When you’re arrested for first-degree arson, you’re certainly a threat,” French said. “Hopefully, we got a guy off the street that’s dangerous.”