Overview
- Garland H. McGhee III, 30, is charged with aggravated arson, residential arson, arson to personal property over $150, and criminal damage by fire exceeding $100,000.
- McGhee was arrested in Indiana on Jan. 14 and was ordered to remain in custody at a detention hearing; his next court date is Jan. 28 at the Kane County Judicial Center.
- Prosecutors allege he broke into a girlfriend’s apartment and set clothing on fire after learning she was not home, according to court documents.
- Officials say the fire began on the first floor, spread to the roof, and left the building a total loss, with damage estimated above $100,000 and 24 families displaced.
- The blaze was extinguished within hours; one person was treated for smoke inhalation, and the Red Cross, Kane County OEM, and a local Moose Lodge provided temporary assistance.