Eastpointe man charged with arson following apartment fire

EASTPOINTE — An Eastpointe man has been arrested and is facing a charge of first-degree arson for allegedly setting fire to an apartment complex Aug. 14.

At approximately 8:15 p.m., Eastpointe firefighters were dispatched to an apartment fire at 10 Mile Road and Dodge Street. When officers arrived, they found one of the upper units engulfed in flames, according to the Public Safety Department.

“Our firefighters went to work making sure everyone was safe and aggressively attacked the fire,” the department stated in a Facebook post.

An investigation led police to a 31-year-old Eastpointe man, identified as Brian Austin Harvey, who allegedly started the fire. He was immediately taken into custody by Eastpointe police, the department said.

While there were no injuries, the fire displaced three families.

“All in all, our firefighters did a great job containing the fire without significant damage to the other units,” the department said.

Eastpointe Fire and Rescue was assisted by the St. Clair Shores and Warren fire departments. Eastpointe Deputy Fire Chief Nick Sage said he wanted to thank the other departments for their assistance.

Harvey was arraigned Aug. 15 in the 38th District Court. He was given a $100,000 cash or surety bond. If released, he will be required to wear a tether. At press time, he did not have an attorney listed in court records.

He was scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause hearing at 1 p.m. Aug. 24.