Arrest made in weekend arson

By Mark Brown/Converged Citizen Staff

A Windsor man has been charged in connection with a weekend arson.
Windsor Police say Kenneth Kormendy, 43, is facing three counts of attempted murder in connection with the fire in the 1600 block of Balfour on the city’s east end. Kormendy is also facing three arson-related charges that include disregard for human life. A seven-year-old is in critical condition in a London hospital.
According to the Windsor Police’s Facebook post, a mother and the seven-year-old girl suffered injuries while another child, 11 months old, was unharmed. Firefighters were called to the residence around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to find flames coming out of the south windows of the home. Neighbours tell the Windsor Star that they noticed a gas can on the property and a strong odour of gasoline.
The seven-year-old girl was rushed to Windsor Regional Hospital’s Metropolitan campus with serious burns to her face, torso, hands and feet. She was later taken to London by air ambulance. The mother suffered burns to a hand, according to the WPS Facebook post. The scene on Sunday afternoon showed the home surrounded with red tape. Windows on the south side of the structure were marred with smoke damage. Several police vehicles were parked outside.
Windsor Fire and Rescue indicated on its Twitter account Sunday morning that they had deemed the blaze an arson. The Ontario Fire Marshal had an investigator on scene in the afternoon.
Anyone with additional information about this fire is urged to call Windsor Police at (519) 255-6700, ext. 4830.