Horicon man accused of intentionally setting fire to house he owned

Sep. 17--JUNEAU -- A man accused of intentionally starting a fire in a Horicon home that he owned and rented to his son made his initial court appearance Monday.

Michael Hansen, 69, is charged with arson to a building with the intent to defraud. He could face up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He was released on a $1,000 signature bond.

According to the criminal complaint, the fire occurred at 412 W. Lake St. on July 6, 2016. At the time, another family was planning to move into the home in August. Hansen's son was to move out July 15.

Hansen's son told authorities that they left the house around noon that day to visit a relative.

Six area fire departments battled the blaze that was reported at 2:44 p.m. The house was heavily damaged.

Neighbors of the house noticed Hansen's truck at the scene around the same time as the house was on fire.

One neighbor said Hansen had asked him to buy the house at one point for $100,000 and said his son had wrecked it. Hansen also allegedly told the neighbor, "I can always burn the house down and get the insurance money."

According to the criminal complaint, Hansen was questioned the day of the fire and said he had owned the house for about a dozen years.

He said his son, who lived in the house, did not pay him rent for about a year. Hansen admitted to driving by the house, but denied going into it.

During the investigation of the fire, firefighters noticed that the fire seemed to be localized in the utility/laundry room. The fire pattern showed that fire moved out of the utility room into the kitchen.

A large red plastic gasoline container was found in the weeds near a neighbor's garage.

According to the criminal complaint, the fire originated near the floor level of the northeast corner of the utility/laundry room. It was believed to be caused by the intentional application of an open flame to combustible fuels.

Hansen was questioned again in 2018 and continued to deny any involvement, but did say he had flashbacks to Vietnam that left him with memory problems. He agreed that it was possible he had set the fire, but did not recall it, according to the complaint.

Hansen has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 31.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.

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