Target Express fire: Man charged with arson for fire at Target in Uptown

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man has been charged with arson for the early morning fire set at the Target Express store in Uptown on Tuesday.

Forty-three-year-old Derrick Hansen of Burnsville is charged with first-degree arson and third-degree burglary connected to the fire. The charges point out the Target store is on the first-floor of an apartment building, and the fire could have threatened the lives of numerous people if it had spread.

The charges state Hansen was arrested outside the store by police, as he watched firefighters trying to extinguish the fire.

Police say Hansen was spotted on surveillance cameras using a trash can lid to break the glass of the building, before starting a small fire inside the store using garbage cans, and adding items from the store to feed the flames.

Speaking with police, officers say Hansen admitted to breaking into the Target lobby and starting the trash on fire. When asked why, Hansen blamed family problems with police saying he claimed he was "trying to let his frustration out," according to the charges.

Hansen is currently being held in the Hennepin County Jail.