A Sturgeon Bay resident has been arrested following a deadly fire that occurred earlier this week.
57-year-old Anthony Gonzalez could be facing two counts of second-degree reckless homicide and seven counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
He appeared in front of a Door County judge on Friday afternoon where prosecutors alleged that a catastrophic fire began after Gonzalez spilled butane on his bed while trying to fill a lighter before lighting a cigarette. He was unable to put the fire out before it got out of control.
Gonzalez was a tenant of the building which also housed Butch’s Bar in downtown Sturgeon Bay. He allegedly asked others to call 911 about the fire as he attempted to wake other tenants in the building.
Two of the tenants were found dead in the building’s rubble, while another was transported to a burn treatment facility. Nine others were displaced by the fire.
Emergency crews battled the blaze on Tuesday but were ultimately unable to save the building.
Judge D. Todd Ehlers set a $25,000 cash bond for Gonzalez. He will appear in court on Monday.
