Sherwood Park man, 58, facing arson charges after February house fire
On Feb, 24, Strathcona County RCMP received a report of a residential fire in the Mills Haven neighbourhood in Sherwood Park, said police in a news release Tuesday.
The home had living quarters in the basement where two people were living and police said the two residents were able to evacuate the fire safely. No injuries were reported.
Investigators deemed the fire suspicious, and Strathcona County RCMP's general investigation unit took over the investigation. The presence of a fire accelerant was discovered at the point of origin and a fuel source was identified.
'An investigation like this takes collaborative work with the fire department and their investigators, so we had to determine if it was suspicious and look at all the avenues with regards to what actually happened and if it was deemed suspicious, finding what the cause was,' said Strathcona County RCMP Const. Chantelle Kelly, in an interview with Postmedia on Tuesday.
Robert Lemon, 58 of Sherwood Park, was charged with arson-disregard for human life.
Kelly said Lemon lived in the top floor of the home, but couldn't confirm whether or not he was the owner of the home. The two people who lived in the basement were renting the home at the time of the blaze.
Lemon was released and is scheduled to appear in court in Sherwood Park on June 25.
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