A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a suspicious fire set in the downtown Sooke area on Oct. 18.
But the other suspicious fires in recent weeks are still under investigation.
The Sooke man has been charged with two counts of mischief in connection to the Oct. 18 fire. He appeared in court on Oct. 19, where he was released on recognizance pending his next appearance, scheduled for Oct. 28. His conditions include following a curfew and not possessing any fire-starting devices.
Police responded to a fire in the 6700-block of Sooke Road on Oct. 18 and later determined several fires were lit throughout the night in a business. Sooke RCMP canvassed the area and found video footage of a suspect and the fires being lit. After further investigation, the suspect was identified.
The incident comes after a string of fires in recent months in the Sooke area.
READ MORE: Arsonist on the loose: Four suspicious fires unsolved in Sooke
On Oct. 13, emergency services were called to a commercial building on Otter Point Road engulfed in flames. The fire was considered suspicious. A firefighter was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injures.
The detachment is “aware of community safety concerns caused by these suspicious fires, and after some dedicated investigative efforts and assistance from the community, we were able to arrest and charge a suspect for this particular fire,” Sgt. Kevin Shaw, operations commander for the Sooke RCMP, said in a statement.
Anyone with information on the other suspicious fires is asked to call the Sooke RCMP at 250-642-5241.
READ MORE: Firefighter injured in suspicious Sooke fire
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