Update: Man Charged, Held on $10,000 Bond...
A 20-year-old Buffalo Grove man faces felony charges for allegedly starting a brush fire Sunday afternoon that threatened dozens of homes in the northwestern suburb.
Firefighters from more than 20 departments were called to help extinguish the fast-moving, 30-foot wall of fire, the Daily Herald reports.
Buffalo Grove Police Sgt. Scott Kristiansen told the paper the flames got as close as 15 feet from homes. It also burned utility poles and power lines, causing about 2,400 ComEd customers to lose power.
The Daily Herald reports an off-duty Morton Grove police officer stopped four people he saw running from the fire and held them until Buffalo Grove Police arrived.
Officers arrested Gabriel R. Horwich for starting the fire while setting off fireworks.
Horwich has since been charged with criminal damage to property by reckless means of fire. If convicted, Horwich could be sentenced to as much as three years in prison.
