Man accused of setting two house fires

A 22-year-old man is facing a string of charges including counts of arson related to a pair of recent house fires.

The man made his first appearance Thursday in Regina provincial court, facing approximately a dozen charges arising from incidents dating between June 11 and July 12.

According to the Regina Police Service, the first incident occurred on June 11 when, shortly after 4 a.m., police noticed smoke coming from a residence on the 900 block of Garnet Street.

No one was home when police notified the Regina Fire Department.

Less than a month later, on July 5, fire crews were called to another fire, this one on the 1200 block of Retallack Street. An occupant of the residence — who police say is known to the accused — came home at 5 a.m. to find the home on fire.

Police responded to another incident the following day at about 2 a.m. The same suspect is accused of assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon for an incident involving a machete.

Two days after that, on Saturday, the suspect is alleged to have been in possession of a firearm (a shotgun, according to court documents) — a situation that allegedly repeated itself two days later when he was accused of being involved in yet another arson.

According to court documents, he’s accused of being unlawfully in a house on the 1000 block of Garnet Street, where he set fire to a sock and a toaster.

He’s also facing a charge of damaging miscellaneous property and another count of being in possession of a shotgun.