One person is in custody after a string of fires were set around Victoria this week.
VicPD said officers were conducting surveillance in the 2900-block of Cedar Hill Road at around 1:50 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8th when they saw an individual enter a BC Transit bus shelter.
As the person was exiting on foot, flames were seen coming out of the shelter.
Officers extinguished the fire and took the suspect into custody. The suspect is also believed to have caused a number of other arsons.
Construction sites targeted
The same suspect was captured on surveillance camera a few days earlier, on Sunday, March 5th, starting a fire at a construction site in the 1300-block of Hillside.
The fire damaged multiple portable toilets.
Two days later, on March 7th, the suspect was seen returning to the construction setting a second fire and damaging another portable toilet.
When officers identified the suspect from the videos, they learned the person had outstanding warrants for mischief.
Rental moving truck arson
A fourth fire is also being investigated at the U-Haul in the 700-block of Topaz Avenue. According to police, a rental truck was set ablaze just after 11:20 p.m. on Monday, March 6th.
VicPD said the vehicle was fully engulfed when officers arrived. The Victoria Fire Department were able to extinguish the flames before spreading to a nearby building.
The suspect, whose identity was not released, was held for court and currently faces three recommended arson charges.
Anyone with information is asked to call VicPD at (250) 995-7654. To report what you know anonymously, you can call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
