Man Charged After White Bear Lake Fire Injures 1
Crews on the 2600 block of Aspen Ct. in White Bear Lake on Sunday, May 14, 2023. MN CRIME PHOTO
A man is charged with a felony after allegedly causing a fire at a White Bear Lake four-plex that critically injured a woman who was unable to escape the residence late Saturday night.
45-year-old Christian Thomas Dahm, of White Bear Lake, is charged with one felony count of negligent fires causing great bodily harm. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison.
The criminal complaint states that firefighters were called to the residence on Aspen Court around 11:38 p.m. Saturday, May 13, with multiple callers reporting a house fire and items possibly exploding inside. An officer arrived and found the home fully engulfed in fire and was spreading to neighboring units. Dahm’s father was outside and pointed officers to his son’s direction saying, “He’s over there. He started the fire,” the documents allege.
PREVIOUSLY: White Bear Lake Blaze Injures 1
Dahm was located on the back patio of the home with his pants around his ankles and otherwise without clothes. According to police radio traffic reviewed by MN CRIME, officers physically fought with Dahm outside the residence before eventually detaining him. Officers said Dahm was incoherent and was placed in handcuffs before being carried away from the fire, the documents said.
Firefighters were told that the father’s wife was still inside the burning home and had not been able to escape. Firefighters made entry and located her near the front door. She was pulled from the residence and transported by paramedics to Regions Hospital where she remains on a ventilator in the burn unit.
VIDEO from the scene of the fire
Dahm’s father told police that he and his wife were concerned that Dahm was high on methamphetamine. Dahm was “creating his usual disturbance” and had left an unextinguished Sterno can on top of cardboard boxes. When Dahm’s father opened the garage service door to check on him, he said it was “like everything exploded.” He escaped from the home out of the front door.
Dahm told investigators that he was inside the garage working on a fishing pole and did not want to be near his dad. Dahm said, ““I was using oil, there was an oil pan, and I had a cigarette I lit with a torch. All of a sudden, there was a fire,” according to the court documents.
The criminal complaint adds that the investigation into the case is ongoing and additional charges may be added at a later time. Dahm was set to make his initial court appearance Wednesday morning and was being held in jail on a $50,000 bond with no conditions.
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PREVIOUSLY: White Bear Lake Blaze Injures 1
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