A 31-year-old Ada, Minn., man was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of burglary and arson after Ada Police Chief Wade Krohmer encountered the man leaving a burning building in town.
Krohmer said Jason Timothy Campbell will be held at the Polk County Jail in Crookston, Minn., pending the filing of charges.
According to Krohmer:
Emergency crews responded to two fires in Ada early Saturday.
A house fire was reported about 5:30 a.m.
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The fire appeared to have started in the garage, and the house was a total loss, Krohmer said.
No one was at home at the time of the fire.
About an hour later, a caller reported a vehicle stuck in a snowbank near the town's senior citizen center, and a man was seen entering the center.
Krohmer said he apprehended Campbell leaving the center and then noticed the building was on fire.
The fire in the senior center appeared to have started in the basement, causing extensive damage to the center, including its floor joists, Krohmer said.
The house and the senior citizen center are both on Fourth Avenue East, about two blocks from each other.
It's possible the fires are related, Krohmer said, adding that the state fire marshal was expected to arrive late Saturday to investigate.
Ada, population 1,600, is about 45 miles northeast of Fargo-Moorhead.
