A city of Blue Island spokesperson said 22-year-old Ronaldo Nunez is charged with three counts of Aggravated Arson, one count of Aggravated Animal Cruelty and one count of Aggravated Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
People nearby said they heard a loud bang before the fire broke out at a house in the 2000-block of Vermont Street around 4:15 a.m.
The fire destroyed one home and damaged three others. One of those homes housed a hair salon.
A person was hospitalized with minor burn injuries, and two firefighters were released after being taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.
Two ferrets and a cat made it out of the home where the fire started, but family members said their 8-year-old German Shepard named Lexi went missing.
One person told ABC7 off camera that his brother, who was home during the time of the fire, had burns on his leg and back. He says the rest of the family was away in Mexico.
On Monday, a spokesperson said a person being investigated in connection with the fire was being treated at Loyola University Medical center for burn injuries. Officials on Friday did not immediately say if Nunez is that person or whether he was the burn victim found at the scene.