A man has been arrested and charged after he allegedly started a house fire in Woodstock on September 22, officials said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office announced that sheriff’s deputies arrested Carl K. Rice, 28, of Woodstock, on Friday in connection with a house fire that occurred in unincorporated Woodstock on September 22.
At around 7:15 p.m., the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and multiple fire departments responded to the scene of a fire at a home in the 2900 block of Raycraft Road in unincorporated Woodstock.
Arriving firefighters reported flames showing from the first floor of the home. The area does not have fire hydrants so firefighters had to call in large water tankers from fire departments throughout McHenry County. Damage was estimated at $200,000.
An arson investigation was later initiated by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Arson Investigators, officials said. The investigation revealed information that Rice had intentionally started the fire, which caused substantial damage to the residence, sheriff’s officials said.
No one was injured in the fire. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Rice and he was arrested and charged on Friday with residential arson, which is a class 1 felony.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office did not say why Rice set the house on fire. Rice’s bond was set at $150,000. His next court date is October 31 at 9:00 a.m..