A 54-year-old man is facing more than a half-dozen charges in connection with an arson incident early Saturday morning that caused a woman and three children to flee their Ethelbert, Man., home.
Manitoba RCMP said they were called to the Railway Avenue home around 3:45 a.m., and learned that the woman had woken up after hearing noises outside her window, and saw the fire and a man running from the scene.
Everyone in the house made it to safety without injury, and local firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze with only minor damage to the home.
Police said that based on a description of the suspect, they were able to identify and arrest him that afternoon at a property north of Ethelbert. When he was arrested, police said they found three knives and a hatchet in his possession.
He was taken into custody and charged with arson with disregard for human life, along with criminal harassment, mischief, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and three counts of failing to comply with probation.
The RCMP continues to investigate.