A 46-year-old Victoria man has been arrested after attempting to set two homes on fire.
Saanich Police and Saanich Fire received a report of an arson just before 8:30 am Thursday, in the 900 block of Greenridge Cresent.
According to a witness, who was a caretaker at one of the homes, the suspect approached the house. Then, when the witness realized that the man didn’t belong to the residence, he went to check on him.
As the caretaker approached, he noticed the suspect was attempting to light the side door of the home on fire.
The suspect fled the property and a few minutes later, the witness noticed smoke coming from a neighbouring property on Saanich Rd. The witness then called 911.
The Saanich Fire Department arrived and discovered that part of an occupied house in the 3900 block of Saanich Rd was on fire.
Saanich Fire extinguished the blaze and no one inside the home was injured.
Saanich Police searched the area for a suspect and officers located him a few blocks away.
“This arson not only put the lives of the people inside the home at risk but also the emergency responders who attended the scene,” A/Sgt. Jereme Leslie said in a statement.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation and luckily no one was injured”.
The suspect has been arrested for arson to endanger life and will be held in custody for a court appearance on June 30, 2017.
