Kent and Arlington fire was arson: Ottawa Fire
Posted May 15, 2012 01:33:49 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Arson investigators have taken over the case following Monday night’s fire at 511 Kent Street near Arlington.
Flames broke out at Arlington Guest House Bed & Breakfast just before 7 p.m. and quickly escalated to three alarms. The blaze completely gutted the building, and damaged neighbouring homes, several bicycles and a car parked in the alley behind the building.
“Investigators eventually managed to get into the residence and they were able to confirm that it was an incendiary fire,” Ottawa Fire spokesperson Marc Messier tells 1310News. “So Ottawa police arson unit has been called in and they are taking the lead on this investigation.”
Messier says the fire started in a second floor hallway.
“It basically worked its way to the exterior of the building, ran up the wooden staircase outside up the exterior wall and into the attic.”
Messier tells 1310News that while the building may have been called a bed and breakfast, it was clearly a rooming house, where people had been living on a permanent basis.
The blaze caused more than $400,000 in damage and left 10 people homeless. One person was taken to hospital with minor smoke inhalation.
