One man is in custody following a fire at a residential building under construction in Sidney in the early morning hours Tuesday.
According to Sidney/North Saanich RCMP, at around 4:30 a.m. on December 27th, officers were dispatched to a report of a break and enter at a unfinished construction project in the 9700 block of Third Street.
Arriving officers discovered the building was on fire and dispatched Sidney Fire Rescue to the scene— firefighters from North Saanich and Central Saanich were also called to the scene to provide assistance.
The multi-residential building is still under construction so nobody was residing in the building.
The fire was knocked down by the buildings sprinkler system, and while the fire was contained to a small area, the structure did suffer water damage.
3rd & what?
— Sixtyish (@StillSixtyish) December 27, 2022
One man was located at the scene of the fire and was arrested for arson.
Police believe that this fire was intentionally started and the suspect is being held at this time pending a court appearance.
“Thanks to the swift response of both Police and Firefighters, this event was quickly resolved. I am thankful that the building was not occupied at the time and that our first responders were able to manage this event safely and professionally,” said Cpl. Andres Sanchez, spokesman for Sidney/North Saanich RCMP.
Due to the ongoing investigation, police said they would not be releasing any further information but did say they believe this was an isolated incident.
“There are no outstanding suspects or further danger posed to the public,” said Sanchez.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Sidney/North Saanich RCMP at 250-656-3931.
