Arson charges laid for fire at Kitchener apartment building

A dozen charges, including arson, have been laid in connection with a fire in Kitchener that forced an evacuation at an apartment building.

The fire tore through the underground parking garage at 81 York St., not far from the WRHN @ Midtown hospital, around midnight on the morning of Feb. 13.

Waterloo Regional Police Service said several vehicles were damaged, along with portions of the building structure.

The fire forced dozens of residents at the eight-storey building to be immediately evacuated. A statement later from police said “all residents have been safely relocated while repairs and safety assessments are conducted.”

Police eventually sent out an image of a person they needed to find in connection with the fire.

A 32-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday this week and now faces twelve charges including:

• Arson – disregard for human Life
• Arson – damage to Property
• Possession break in instruments (two counts)
• Disguise with intent (two counts)
• Probation order: non-compliance (two counts)
• Failure to comply with release order (two counts)
• Break, enter a place – commit indictable offence
• Break, enter a place – with intent to commit indictable offence

Police said the damage to the building is estimated to be worth millions of dollars.

Pictures from the scene show that fire left black soot coating the vehicle entrance doorway to the apartment building’s underground garage.