Charges: Blaine man put jug on windowsill prior to arson fire

BLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Blaine man is accused of starting a house on fire this week using a jug filled with "an unknown liquid," charges state.

Michael Joseph Bourgeois, 23, of Blaine, is charged with two counts of first-degree arson in connection to a fire at a home in Blaine on April 27. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday morning, court records show.

According to the criminal complaint, Blaine police at 1:57 p.m. on Wednesday responded to a home on the 10700 block of Lincoln Street Northeast to investigate a fire. 

Two neighbors, who were outside chatting, spotted Bourgeois walk into the home’s backyard, charges said. One neighbor said Bourgeois threw something at the home, breaking a window and causing the fire. The other neighbor described seeing Bourgeois put a "large jug filled with an unknown liquid" on the windowsill of the home and then lit it on fire. 

The neighbors ran toward Bourgeois, who ran away. One neighbor continued to chase him while the other called 911 and attempted to find a hose to put out the fire, the complaint says. 

Police found Bourgeois nearby and arrested him, charges state. Investigators found a "large lighter" in the backyard. 

The homeowner was in Arizona at the time of the fire, charges said. No injuries were reported, police said.