Suspected serial arsonist from Minneapolis arrested after several fires

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Last month, time stood still at FACE Facial Bar and Lounge.

“This is my worst nightmare. It's devastating. It's very hard,” said owner Matisse Johnson.

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Johnson opened the day spa on Lake Street in 2020, weathering everything from crime to road construction, but a dumpster fire in the early hours of late July forced her to close her doors for weeks after noxious smoke covered walls, furniture and appliances.

Several other shops and apartments in the building were also severely damaged by the fire.

What happened?

On Wednesday, the man who the authorities believe is responsible for all this appeared in court for the first time.

Surveillance video shows a person matching the description of 62-year-old Bennett Thomas setting fire to a recycling container in the early hours of July 22.

He is accused of setting five different fires in the area. He told investigators that he was setting garbage cans on fire for fun, but he did not cause the building fire.

How you can help

“I've been out of work for a month, my staff are out of work and I really have no answer as to when we can reopen,” Johnson said.

GoFundMe campaigns have been launched for FACE and The Ink Lab.