He appeared before the Christchurch District Court yesterday facing charges of arson and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.
The defendant was granted name suppression, remanded in custody and will appear in the Timaru District Court next month.
Emergency services arrived at the large Waimate property at 12.50pm on Sunday to find the top storey well ablaze.
They also discovered two people with critical and serious injuries.
A police spokesman said a man in his 30s was taken into custody without incident and received treatment at hospital for a head injury before charges were laid.
Fire and Emergency NZ returned to the scene yesterday with three fire appliances after smoke started billowing from the collapsed roof.
All firefighters were made to sign in with police, because it was a crime scene.
Police were inspecting the site with a drone.
A fire investigator said he could not comment on the cause of the fire because of the ongoing investigation.
A Fenz spokesman said four tankers and four trucks attended the blaze on Sunday.
