A Braintree roofer has been charged with two counts of arson endangering life after firefighters were called to two house blazes within 45 minutes of each other last weekend.
Jordan Clarke, 28, of Gilbert Way, was arrested and later charged after separate incidents at properties in Bailey Bridge Road, Braintree, and Skiddaw Close, Great Notley, in the early hours of Sunday, May 8.
Fire crews attended the first incident in Braintree at 2.37am and managed to extinguish the fire by 3.50am. Crews from Witham and Chelmsford were called to the second blaze in Great Notley at around 3.20am, but found that the fire was out on arrival. No one was injured in either fire.
Mr Clarke was also charged with assault, burglary, breaching a restraining order and two counts of theft of a motor vehicle.
He appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on May 9 and was remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on June 6.
A fundraising appeal has since been set up for the victims in one of the fires, and so far £495 has been donated on the GoFundMe page dedicated to the family involved.
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/23bevhys.
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