A 26-year-old man has been charged with arson and other charges in connection with a house fire this afternoon at 610 Tackaberry Drive. Police were treating the fire as suspicious and had assigned a constable to investigate.
A 26-year-old man has been charged with arson and other charges in connection with a house fire this afternoon at 610 Tackaberry Drive.
Police were treating the fire as suspicious and had assigned a constable to investigate.
But a suspect was apprehended Thursday evening, said Staff Sgt. Ted Whittle.
“We have a gentleman in custody in regards to the circumstances surrounding the fire,” Whittle said.
Ryan Neil, 26, of Rodney Drive, in North Bay is being charged with arson, mischief and trafficking in cocaine.
Engulfed in flames Police said a man visited the occupant of a house in the city Thursday afternoon.
He left after a period of time and attended the attached garage. The home occupant later checked the garage and saw that it was on fire and observed the man engulfed in flames exiting the structure.
He rolled in the snow to extinguish himself. The home owner called 911 and then the man entered the home and commenced to ransack the kitchen. The homeowner then escaped the residence. Officers of the North Bay Police Service arrived as well as the North Bay Fire Department.
This same man then attended a nearby government facility and attempted to steal a vehicle. He then tried to flag down a passing motorist and attempted to steal the vehicle as well as another one. Eventually the man was subdued and held for police. He was then brought to the North Bay General Hospital for treatment. He suffered second-degree burns, cuts and bruises. He remains in hospital under guard.
Cst. Scott McFarlane, of the North Bay Police Service, continues the investigation and further charges are pending.
A source told baytoday.ca the residents of 610 Tackaberry know the suspect.
Burning garbage Firefighters were called to the scene around 3:30 p.m. responding to what originally was believed to have been a garage fire.
Dennis Truchon, who lives at 600 Tackaberry Dr, also called 911 after seeing flames coming from the garage of the house, which is semi-detached and adjacent to 612 Tackaberry.
Truchon said he and his neighbours Lance Hamilton and Rob Witiuk went over to the house with a sledgehammer, crowbar and fire extinguisher, and tore off an entrance door to the garage.
“I thought there was someone in the garage, and when we got in we saw a pile of burning garbage at the door and we put that out, but there were flames at the back of the garage too and just smoke everywhere,” Truchon said.
Fire suspicious The fire spread to the second floor of the house and flames could be seen coming out of a second-floor window.
North Bay Fire Department Platoon Chief Dick Woodward said fire and police officials deemed the fire suspicious.
Chief fire prevention officer Paul Aultman said the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office has been called in to investigate.
Woodward said 610 Tackaberry had sustained the bulk of the damage, and Aultman estimated damage to be in the $100,000 range.
Gas to the house had been shut off to prevent explosions, Woodward said, and North Bay Hydro was on the scene as well to inspect the wiring.
The blaze was extinguished within about 45 minutes, Aultman said. Police are guarding the fire site, which is now considered a crime scene.
