Man Charged In Lola's On The Lake Pavilion Fire Makes 1st Court Appearance

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A man charged with negligently causing a fire that destroyed a historic pavilion alongside Bde Maka Ska last month made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

According to court records, 23-year-old Nouh Omar Elmi was due in court for his first appearance in Hennepin County at 1:30 p.m. in connection to the May 16 fire.

According to the complaint, the fire began early in the morning after surveillance video showed a man and a woman near the building.

The video showed the two at around 2:45 a.m. The criminal complaint says the two were seen sitting at a nearby table, attempting to smoke from a hookah. After about 20 minutes, 23-year-old Nouh Elmi was shown dumping the embers of the hookah behind the three trash cans near the pavilion.

That area, the complaint states, was protected from the rains that hit overnight, but not the wind.

The fire that ensued engulfed the building, with damage estimated at $2 million. Fire investigators said that the way the roof and garbage cans were burned indicated that the fire began there. The building itself had to be totally razed as a result of the damages.

Elmi specifically faces one felony count of negligent fires to property valued at $2,500 or more. If convicted, he faces up to three years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Elmi is now free on a $10,000 bond. He must stay away from the area and have no contact with a female witness.