Butler will be arraigned in Utica City Court Wednesday. He is currently on parole from state prison for a burglary conviction, so no bail was set for him.
Arson investigators say the charges follow a nine-day investigation of the blaze.
This investigation was conducted with the assistant district attorney, said Cpt. Claude Demitri, of the Arson Strike Force. The July 4 fire caused extensive damage to the home, which contained four apartments and housed four individuals. The fire was the second in the home in the last five years. A 1994 blaze broke out between the building s second-floor ceiling and the attic, but was contained to the attic and its contents.