Lake Minnetonka Man Accused of Torching His Home

Hennepin County prosecutors have charged a Mound man with arson in connection with a 2009 fire that destroyed his home.

Steven Mlnarik, 50, is accused of deliberately setting the fire on Bartlett Boulevard 18 months ago, and prosecutors allege financial difficulties motivated his actions.

Mlnarik told police the fire was sparked after he struck an electrical wire with a saw. In interviews with police, Mlnarik said he saw flames and smoke around the outlet which the tool was plugged into and nowhere else.

A pair of investigations into the fire’s cause were launched independently of each other following the November 2009 blaze.

The first was conducted by a cause and origin expert working for the insurance company holding the property’s policy.

Findings indicated the fire started more than four feet from the outlet cited by Mlnarik, and an electrical expert found no competent electric cause of the fire.

Final results of the insurance company’s probe cited “a deliberate incendiary act” as the fire’s cause.

The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office also investigated the fire.

State investigators report they found no evidence of damage to wiring in the basement area and ruled the fire had been intentionally set.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office further learned that Mlnarik was having financial difficulties and had recently been unsuccessful in his attempt to evict a renter who at the time was living in the home.

Mlnarik was not in police custody as of this posting. He has been charged with one count of first-degree arson, a felony, and faces up to 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance later this month.