Cary man charged with intentionally setting house near Round Lake ablaze

A Cary man is facing arson charges after Lake County authorities said he intentionally set fire to a home near Round Lake on Monday afternoon, destroying one house and causing damage to three other neighboring homes.

Robert D. Neumann, 43, is charged with aggravated arson and residential arson, according to the Lake County sheriff’s office.

Firefighters responding to reports of multiple house fires Monday were hampered by the ongoing police investigation on the 35000 block of North Summit Place, officials said.

Round Lake Area Fire Protection District officials said they were called to the scene a little after 2:30 p.m., but were initially halted because of the police activity.

Sheriff’s investigators were trying to track down a man that 911 callers had reported leaving the house with a gas can shortly before it became engulfed in flames.

Once police found and arrested Neumann, multiple homes were on fire, fire officials said.

One firefighter suffered injuries requiring transport to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. He was treated and released, fire officials said. Another firefighter and a civilian were also treated for minor injuries at the scene and released.

Fire officials said one of the houses was destroyed, a second sustained significant damage and deemed uninhabitable, while two others sustained minor damage.

Authorities said Neumann was renting space above a detached garage at the home set ablaze. It’s unclear why he set the home on fire, investigators said. No one was inside the residence at the time of the fire.

Investigators recovered a “nearly empty” gas can from the detached garage Neumann had access to, officials said.

Neumann is due in court this morning for a first appearance.