UPDATE: Arrest report shows owner of Dilworth house that exploded is charged with arson
Michael Barnette was arrested in Chicago on a fugitive from justice warrant.
UPDATE:
CHARLOTTE, NC – The owner of a Dilworth home that exploded during a fire has been arrested in Chicago.
Arrest records from Cook County, Illinois show 41-year-old Michael Barnette was booked on a fugitive from justice warrant for first degree arson on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
According to an arrest report, Amtrak Police notified Chicago Police that Barnette, a passenger on a train that arrived at Union Station, had an active warrant.
Charlotte fire determined a fire at his home on Lombardy Circle in Dilworth on May 2nd had been intentionally set.
Online property records show Barnette has owned the home since 2012.
ORIGINAL STORY (POSTED 5/3/25):
CHARLOTTE, NC – Charlotte Fire determined that the house fire in Dilworth on Friday morning was intentionally set.
“This fire put lives at risk—both the public and our firefighters. Intentionally set fires threaten entire neighborhoods and endanger those sworn to protect them,” said Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson.
Around 6:15 a.m., firefighters responded to a home on Lombardy Circle engulfed in flames. A second alarm was struck at 6:33 a.m.
Neighbors say they heard an explosion when the fire started. No one was home at the time of the explosion, but two nearby homes were damaged.
Charlotte Fire’s Hazardous Materials Team also responded to the area to secure leaking gas lines.
One firefighter and a person in a nearby home sustained minor injuries, but neither needed transport.
The fire caused an estimated $445,000 in property and content loss.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 704-334-1600.
