The man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend’s home on fire while she and her two children were inside will return to court in two weeks.

Akil Alexander

Akil Alexander, 29, allegedly set fire to a small part of the home on Maplelawn Drive in Ypsilanti Township after his ex-girlfriend, who lived there, ended their relationship.

Alexander's next court date will be for a final pretrial hearing at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

Alexander is scheduled to go to trial at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 3 in front of Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Archie Brown, but court officials said that date could be changed.

Alexander is facing one charge of arson of a dwelling and, if convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Police were dispatched to the home at about 1:30 a.m. April 10 after receiving a report of a loud explosion.

A small part of the exterior of the home had been set on fire, and it took Ypsilanti Township firefighters about 10 minutes to put out the blaze.

The explosion and subsequent fire caused thousands of dollars in damage, according to fire department officials. The woman and her two children were evacuated form the home and were not injured.

Alexander is currently lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.