One man has been arrested in connection with multiple fires that were started at elementary schools in Duncan, according to RCMP.
The fires occurred at Drinkwater Elementary School on January 11th and Ecole Mount Prevost on January 15th, respectively. In both cases, the schools were forced to close due to smoke in the hallways and safety concerns.
On January 19th, officers located and arrested a 36-year-old Duncan man in connection to these fires.
He has been released on a number of conditions and is expected to appear in provincial court in March.
Conditions of the suspect’s release include not being within 200 meters of any school, not possessing anything capable of starting a fire and reporting to adult probation.
“We are very grateful for the quick work and thorough investigation from the North Cowichan / Duncan RCMP,” said Candace Spilsbury, Chair of the Board of Education.
“With a suspect identified we know our school communities, and our community at large, can breathe a sigh of relief.”
North Cowichan / Duncan RCMP are still actively investigating and looking for more witnesses or individuals with surveillance or dash cam footage who can come forward.
Anyone with information on the incidents can contact the detachment at (250)748-5522, and quote file #2021-801.
