A suspect has been apprehended and arrested for arson in VicPD’s investigation of a house fire near Pemberton Park last Friday.
At around 2:45 p.m. on January 20th, police officers were notified by Victoria Fire Department firefighters that a house fire in the 1900-block of Richardson Street — near the intersection with Lawndale Avenue — was suspicious in nature .
Police say the house was fully engulfed in flames when officers arrived.
The home was extensively damaged despite firefighters best efforts to save the house. No one was inside the home at the time of the fire, according to VicPD.
Police and the Victoria Fire Department determined the cause of the fire was likely arson and VicPD’s Major Crimes Unit launched an investigation into who may have caused the blaze.
Since the fire, Oak Bay Police had a suspect come into their offices to turn themselves in. VicPD officers were called in and they arrested the suspect and transported them to hospital for a mental assessment.
Police say the suspect was held in custody pending court.
VicPD says that this file is still under investigation and they ask that anyone with surveillance footage from the area or information about this incident, call VicPD at (250) 995-7654.
