Fargo Fire responds to blaze at apartment complex, man arrested

(Fargo, ND) -- A Fargo man is behind bars after setting a fire at a south side apartment complex early Monday morning.

The Fargo Police Department tells WDAY Radio that fire crews responded on a call for an odor investigation at the complex at 4375 10th avenue south around 5:41 a.m. The caller told dispatchers that they smelled smoke throughout the building, but the alarms we not activated.

The smoke was eventually tracked down to a unit inside the building, with 39-year-old Hector Bonilla being the person responsible for setting it on a bathroom vanity.

Bonilla, who is alleged to have set the fire on purpose, resisted firefighters who attempted to enter the apartment unit to put out the flames. Eventually, less-lethal force, including a taser, was used. Bonilla was then taken to an area hospital to be treated for smoke inhilation, and would later be transported to the Cass County Jail on Endangering by Fire, Terrorizing, Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer and Preventing Arrest charges.

Initial damage estimates on the fire are at about $1,000. The incident remains under investigation.