ACT police have arrested a 61-year-old Belconnen man on Tuesday following a house fire on Monday which saw one woman hospitalised and which neighbours described as 'distressing'.
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Following an investigation by ACT Policing, the man was arrested and taken to City Police Station before being charged with arson-related offences.
He was set to face ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning where police are expected to oppose bail.
Local woman Jenny Magee was in her apartment when she heard screams near her apartment off Ranken Loop on Monday, from her balcony she could see the blaze.
"Pretty decent fire," Ms Magee said. "I was quite distressed."
Neighbours said a woman emerged from the fire, calling out for her dog 'Sookie' while a local man, Terry Gavin, ran his garden house to the property to help.
His son Chris Page had come back into the house after going out for a smoke and alerted him to the fire.
"I said, Mum, Dad, this house is up in flames," Mr Page said.
Sookie the dog was found safe in the backyard by a postman but the house was destroyed, with ACT emergency services estimating $400,000 in damages.
