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Police have laid arson charges against a Calgary man after someone allegedly set fire to a house in the northwest last week while a family was sleeping inside.

Around 4 a.m. on March 7, the Calgary Fire Department responded to a house fire in the 200 block of Panamount Court N.W. When crews arrived they found a single family, two-storey house with flames showing on the outside of the home.

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Two adults and four children were at home when the fire started but all the occupants were able to get out of the home unharmed after a neighbour alerted them to the blaze.

After reviewing security camera footage from neighbouring homes police and fire investigators now believe the fire was intentionally started. Police said cameras captured video of a man walking and driving near the home around the time the fire was started, helping police identify a suspect.

“It’s very concerning for us,” said Det. Torrey Killam with the Calgary Police arson unit. “It’s certainly not common but it’s not unheard of.”