Saanich Police are recommending several charges of break and enter, arson, mischief and theft against a 30-year-old Victoria man, who remains in custody following several Sunday morning fires.

Saanich Police arrested the man Sunday morning, but are withholding details because of the on-going nature of the investigation, said Cst. Matt Cawsey in a release Sunday afternoon.

Dan Wood, deputy fire chief with the Saanich Fire Department, said Sunday morning it is B次元官网网址渉ighly likelyB次元官网网址� that the man is connected to two, possibly more fires on or near the Interurban campus of Camosun College. Perhaps the most significant of the fires caused what Cawsey calls B次元官网网址渟ignificantB次元官网网址� damage to the weight room of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) located next to the college.

Casey B次元官网网址� like Wood though in his initial assessment B次元官网网址� could not attach a dollar figure.

RELATED:

According to Wood, Saanich Police including a K-9 unit, arrested the man after fire crews responding to the blaze at PISE around 2:20 a.m. responded to a second fire on campus in the collegeB次元官网网址檚 Centre for Business and Access (CBA).

Crews attending the second fire discovered a person inside the building, Wood said. They then cleared the area and waited for police to arrive, who then arrested the person.

Inside the CBA building, the blaze damaged notice boards and Wood suggested but could not confirm, that the number of affected buildings might increase.

Robert Bettauer, chief executive officer of PISE, told the Saanich B次元官网网址 that police were familiar with the individual. B次元官网网址淲hat I heard is that he was known to them, and obviously disturbed, not much doubt about that,B次元官网网址� he said.

Bettauer made this comment, as he was standing outside the building late Sunday morning where several metres away, Saanich police officers were guarding several open doors blocked off by yellow police tape leading into PISEB次元官网网址檚 fitness room.

RELATED:

B次元官网网址淪o we have some fire damage, and we have water damage and smoke damage,B次元官网网址� Bettauer said. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 know the extent of it, because they are still in the process of completing their investigation.B次元官网网址�

He expects that the building will remain closed at least Sunday. At least two other buildings on campus suffered some type of fire damage, he added.

CawseyB次元官网网址檚 comments point in the same direction. The initial investigation by Saanich Police located additional college buildings that somebody had entered and damaged.

Cawsey said police hoped that they would be able to release additional details on Tuesday.

wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com

Like us on and follow us on