An 80-year-old man was charged with aggravated arson on Tuesday after an apartment complex was set on fire late last week displacing several residents, officials said.

       Paul C. Strusiner, 80, did not appear at a bond court hearing Tuesday because he is in the hospital, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

       At the hearing at the Rolling Meadows courthouse, Judge Ellen Mandeltort set bail for Strusiner at $75,000, of which he must pay 10% to be released from custody.

       His next court hearing is Jan. 21, Simonton said.

       The Arlington Heights police and fire departments responded to the fire about 12:20 a.m. Jan. 7 in the 400 block of West Rand Road. Police arrested Strusiner after he made comments about the fire, the Police Department said in a news release.

       The fire seemed to have originated on the first floor of the four-story apartment complex, police said. Police and fire officials at the time evacuated the other 96 apartments and were unable to go into the unit where the fire originated, police said.

       About one-third of the residents were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross offered residents support services, police said.

       The fire is still under investigation.

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