ST. CLOUD — The owner of a historic St. Cloud bar was charged Tuesday with two counts of first degree arson for allegedly setting fire to the business.

Andrew Welsh, 40, of St. Joseph, is accused of burning down the Press Bar and Parlor, a century-old establishment in downtown St. Cloud. Damage was estimated at $1 million.

A Stearns County Judge set bail at $1.2 million without conditions and $200,000 if he agrees to surrender his firearms and passport and stay in the state.

Welsh’s lawyer, Ryan Garry, said in an earlier statement to the St. Cloud Times that his client is “absolutely innocent.”

Welsh was arrested Saturday on suspicion of starting the Feb. 17 blaze. The criminal complaint said investigators discovered evidence showing that the fire was started by an accelerant splashed across the area.

Employees told investigators that sales were declining to the point that the bar stopped selling tap beer and began reducing staff, the complaint said.