Man accused of setting his own Hackham West unit on fire in Adelaides south [Video]

A man is under police guard in hospital after allegedly setting his house on fire in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.

The 52-year-old has been charged with arson over the blaze at a unit complex on Stella St at Hackham West just before 4.30am on Sunday.

Firefighters took about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.

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The unit was destroyed, with the damage estimated to be about $300,000.

A neighbour, Violet, said she heard a loud explosion and rushed outside.

“I heard this great big bang and didn’t really think anything of it, and all of a sudden, I heard someone say, ‘Help me, help me’,” she said.

The 52-year-old man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbours say the man usually keeps to himself, but they’ve recently heard a lot of yelling and screaming from the unit at all hours of the night.