A man has been arrested in connection with three suspicious fires in James Bay last month.
In the early morning hours between 3 a.m. and 3:10 a.m. on May 14, firefighters with the Victoria Fire Department extinguished three suspicious fires in the James Bay neighborhood, according to a VicPD press release.
The first fire, a construction bin fire, occurred near the intersection of Michigan and Powell streets before 3 a.m. While on scene, VicPD officers were notified about a second fire in 500-block of Government Street, where officers noticed that the staircase of a heritage building was on fire and attempted to extinguish it before Victoria FD crews could arrive.
Then at about 3:10 a.m. officers received reports of another ongoing fire, this time in the 200-block of Menzies Street. VicPD officers arrived to find a dumpster fully engulfed in flames that was spreading to a nearby wooden fence. Police were able to contain the fire until firefighters could arrive, according to the press release.
VicPD say they arrested Oliver Govinda Petersen, a 50-year-old Victoria man, who is now facing recommended charges including three counts of arson, on May 29.
Although no one was hurt because of the fires, significant property damaged occurred.
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