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A 33-year-old Lethbridge man is facing multiple charges in connection to an early morning fire at the Sandman Signature Hotel on Scenic Drive South. (Photo: LNN)

Lethbridge man charged in connection to downtown hotel fire

May 29, 2023 | 2:30 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge Police have charged a man in connection to a hotel fire on Monday, May 29, 2023.

At approximately 1:15 a.m., Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services responded to the Sandman Signature Hotel along the 300 block of Scenic Drive South.

Crews arrived on scene and extinguished a fire found burning under a concrete loading dock near the southwest corner of the hotel, and were able to keep the fire to the outside of the building.

The smoke from the fire set off the fire alarm in the hotel, and no injuries were reported. Hotel guests were later able to return to their rooms.

The fire remains under investigation and a damage estimate is not available at this time.

Lethbridge Police launched an investigation, which included looking over footage of the fire, and arrested a man matching the description of the suspect. Police seized two incendiary devices in a subsequent search.

Charles Lewis Panther Bone, 33, of Lethbridge, is facing multiple charges, including:

  • Arson disregard for human life
  • Arson damage to property
  • Obstructing a peace officer
  • Two counts of assaulting a peace officer

Panther Bone is currently in custody awaiting a Judicial Interim Release hearing.

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