A homeowner accused of setting fire to his rental home in Esquimalt turned up in court in bandages on Thursday.
Fire crews were called to a home at Uganda and Selkirk avenues for a report of a blaze in the residence's garage and made quick work of the flames.
Two occupants in the building made it out safe, and the house is now boarded up and reportedly uninhabitable.
On Wednesday Crown approved arson charges against homeowner Wei "George" Li, according to court documents.
Li was taken into custody and appeared at a bail hearing in Victoria Thursday.
Both of his and the left side of his face and head were in bandages.
He was released on $5,000 bail and was told he cannot attend the duplex or have any contact with a tenant there.
He was also told he cannot possess incendiary devices such as matches or lighters.
Li will next appear in court on Oct. 26.
Neighbours told CTV News earlier this week that police had shown up as many as 20 times over the summer including three times in the four days preceding the fire.
The man living upstairs in the duplex said the owner showed up Tuesday morning even though police had told him to stay away.
That's when tenant Bill Montgomery said he went to the grocery store, and when he came back, the garage was on fire.
"His car's gone and the fire trucks are here," said Montgomery, adding that he plans on suing the landlord.
Police aren't confirming reports that Mounties assisted Victoria police with detaining a man at the Victoria airport in connection with the blaze.
