Man, 80, Charged With Felony Arson In Apartment Building Fire

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A resident of an apartment building in Arlington Heights is accused of setting the building on fire last Friday, starting with a unit he is living in. Paul C. Struisner, 80, of the 400 block of W. Rand Road, is accused of felony aggravated arson, according to formal charges announced Monday. He was arrested at the scene of the fire as a person of interest.

Bond for Struisner was set at $75,000 Tuesday and he is due back in court on Jan. 21.

This charge is a Class X Felony with aggravating circumstances, according to police, because the defendant deliberately set fire to his apartment knowing one or more other people resided in the same building. Police said Struisner made incriminating comments to first responders to include where he lived and that he intentionally started a fire in his apartment.

Struisner has been in the care of a local hospital since Friday for medical treatment unrelated to the fire.

A total of six apartments were significantly damaged by the fire and remain uninhabitable, including a unit leased by Struisner.

A fire during the overnight hours of Friday, Jan. 7, sent residents out into freezing cold conditions. Struisner was arrested at the scene as a person of interest after the blaze originated in his former apartment. He was taken into custody after making statements about the fire to police.

RELATED: Apartment Fire Displaces Residents Into Freezing Cold Overnight

Police and fire officials responded to the four-story building at 12:22 a.m. after smoke was seen coming out of the building. The first arriving crews reported a fully involved first floor unit. Due to the extremely low temperatures, the alarm was quickly upgraded to provide additional firefighters and resources.

All residents of the building, which includes 95 apartment units, were able to evacuate. One resident was evaluated and released on scene for smoke inhalation, according to the fire department. Seventy-five firefighters from 10 surrounding departments responded, and there were no firefighter injuries.

Given the defendant's current in-patient status, detectives will seek a court mittimus, which will include the setting of bond for the aforementioned charge. If approved, the mittimus will order the direct transfer of Struisner into the custody of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office from the hospital.