A Bemidji man was charged Thursday with first-degree arson nearly a month after a rural trailer home fire.
According to court documents, the structure fire was reported around 10:31 a.m. on Aug. 26, in the 400 block of Island View Drive, located in Turtle River Township north of Bemidji.
Investigators acquired surveillance footage from a nearby business, which showed a man approaching the trailer home on an ATV at 10:26 a.m. and then leave at 10:29 a.m, just minutes before the fire was reported. According to the Bemidji Fire Department, the trailer home was engulfed in flames by the time responders arrived on scene. Firefighters remained at the scene for about two hours. The department designated the building and its contents as a total loss.
Investigators searched the area and found an ATV matching the one in the surveillance video and connected it to Brian Simon, 37, of Bemidji.