A Blenheim woman accused of causing a fire that displaced residents of a multi-unit residential building will learn early next month if she will be released on bail.
Jocelyne Charuk, 42, of Blenheim, made a brief court appearance in a Chatham court on Monday by video.
She is slated to return to court March 6 in person for a bail hearing.
Charuk is charged with arson with disregard for life in connection to a fire at 83 Talbot St. E. in Blenheim in the early morning of Jan. 16.
According to previously published reports, firefighters arrived to find a “working fire” around 7:30 a.m.
“The multi-dwelling structure was occupied at the time of the fire and all residents were safely evacuated,” police said in a media release.
While fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze, an investigation began into the incident and “almost immediately, the circumstances surrounding the fire were believed to be suspicious,” police said.
Ron Bellehumeur, who lives with his wife and her son in an upper apartment next door to where the fire occurred, previously told The Chatham Daily News they were alerted to the fire by another resident.
“We got a knock on our door and they told us the house was on fire,” he said. “It was pretty bad.”
The side porch of Bellehumeur’s apartment is metres from where the fire happened.
“The porch got a little burnt, a couple windows blew out and a couple of doors melted, just heat damage more than fire,” Bellehumeur said.
There also was a little water damage, he said.
“We got pretty lucky,” Bellehumeur said, adding firefighters “did an awesome job” containing the fire.