One man has been arrested in connection to a string of fires in the James Bay area last month.
In a statement, VicPD announced they have arrested 50-year-old Oliver Govinda Petersen of Victoria for the series of fires set in a span of about 10 minutes.
The first fire was set in a construction bin at around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Michigan Street and Powell Street. Fire crews extinguished the blaze quickly, but the bin sustained significant damage.
About five minutes later, at around 3:05 a.m., a second suspicious fire was reported on the staircase of a heritage building in the 500-block of Government Street.
VicPD officers contained the blaze with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived.
Again, minutes later, at approximately 3:10 a.m., police were alerted to a third fire in the 200-block of Menzies Street.
A dumpster was fully engulfed in flames when officers arrived. The flames spread to a nearby wooden fence, which again, an officer was able to contain with a fire extinguisher until the Victoria Fire Department arrived and doused the remaining fire.
While no injuries were reported, VicPD say there was significant property damage.
Petersen faces three recommended arson charges.
Three more suspicious fires
On May 28th, VicPD issued an alert after three more fires were set near the downtown core.
According to police, the fires occurred on the evening of May 28 at Douglas and Johnson streets, in the 1000-block of Hillside Avenue and in the 700-block of Government Street.
No arrest has been made for those fires.
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call the VicPD non-emergency line at 250-995-7654 or report anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
