Woman arrested for Halloween arson in Victoria, Saanich

Following a rash of suspicious fires in Victoria and Saanich on Halloween night, a woman with no fixed address was arrested Nov. 2.

The 31-year-old woman, known to police, is charged with one count of arson in relation to inhabited property in Victoria, and one count of arson in relation to damaging property in Saanich.

She will remain in custody until her scheduled appearance in court on Nov. 5.

There were several other suspicious fires on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 that appear to be related, say Saanich police who continue to investigate with the help of VicPD and both fire departments.

“We will continue to diligently investigate these incidents. When an individual sets fires, the results are unpredictable and can cause serious damage or worse yet; injuries or harm to people,” said Detective Sgt. Damian Kowalewich.

RELATED: Saanich fire department fought four suspicious fires on Halloween

RELATED: Two Halloween fires in Victoria cause estimated $100,000 damage

While police are not commenting on which fires are connected to the arrest at this time, Black Press reported on the following suspicious fires in Victoria and Saanich on Halloween.

In Victoria, two fires broke out in close proximity to each other in the 3100 block of Alder St, beginning at 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 31.

The first fire involved a camping trailer parked at a home, which caused minimal damage and was contained to the trailer, according to Platoon Captain Gordon Taylor of the Victoria Fire Department.

Roughly half an hour later a second fire was noticed down the street. Crews were still on scene and able to quickly respond to a stand-alone garage with “significant flames exiting the openings.”

The garage was located in the backside of a property, near the main home. The garage was damaged and a vehicle inside was destroyed.

Damage to the camping trailer, garage, vehicle and home is estimated to be $100,000.

In Saanich, on Oct. 31, Black Press reported on four suspicious fires.

Just before 8 p.m., a fence lattice was lit on fire in the 200 block of Burnside Road West.

Approximately half an hour later in the 300 block of Burnside Road East, a van parked in a driveway sustained damages estimated at $5,000 after an arsonist set fire to the vehicle’s front grill.

Crews also responded to a structural fire on Santa Rosa Place, where the blaze caused damages to a door.

Several hours later crews responded to a fire in the 1500 block of Cedar Hill Cross Road, where pieces of discarded carpet laying underneath a three-ton moving van were set on fire, according to the Saanich Fire Department.