Wheaton man charged with arson after January apartment fire

A 35-year-old Wheaton man has been charged with arson following a Jan. 16 fire at his apartment.

Wheaton police said Myles Aldinger intentionally set a purse on fire using his stove, igniting the fire in the basement apartment that damaged his unit and a unit above his.

According to police, Aldinger knew his neighbor was home at the time he started the fire, making the aggravated arson charge a Class X felony.

Aldinger's bail was set at $250,000 Tuesday. He is currently being held at the DuPage County jail.

Police officials said officers responded to a two-story house on the 900 block of North Webster Avenue for a neighbor's 911 call about smoke filling up his upper-floor apartment on Jan. 16.

Officers determined the smoke was coming from the basement apartment and went to check on Aldinger. When officers knocked on the back door, Aldinger "exited a bedroom in the rear of the apartment, yelled profanities and refused to exit the apartment," police said.

Wheaton Fire Department firefighters ultimately had to break down the door to gain entry and extinguish the blaze.

Aldinger's next court date is slated for March 10, according to court records.