The suspect who was charged in multiple Victoria arsons faces new accusations of lighting a diaper fire in Nanaimo that caused $2 million in damage.
Edwin Singh, 42, has been charged with two counts of arson over two incidents in Nanaimo and police confirmed one of those is connected to a Feb. 22 fire at the Walmart in the 6800 block of Island Highway North.
That incident caused the Walmart to shut down for five days after a fire was set in a box of diapers. The blaze was small and had been extinguished by employees by the time firefighters arrived, but damage from fire extinguisher chemicals and smoke contamination forced the store’s closure.
At the time, Walmart Canada said the incident caused tens of thousands of items, including food, to be destroyed due to the damage.
“Given the fire was set in our baby area, the items required to be destroyed also included baby essentials like infant formula, baby food and diapering items,” Walmart Canada said in a statement.
Victoria police said the fire caused approximately $2 million in property damage as it announced the new charges on Thursday (Oct. 19). The new charges against Singh were the result of a comprehensive investigation involving Nanaimo RCMP.
Singh’s other new arson charge relates to a March 20 vehicle fire at a Wallace Street business in Nanaimo. The man was still in custody as of Thursday after he was arrested on Aug. 27, when he was charged with four counts of arson over Victoria fires that were set during the summer.
Three of those fires were set in the 2500 block of Government Street. The first of those came on June 23, when a vehicle fire at a car rental business caused considerable damage to the ride.
Two fires were set on July 12, with one impacting at least two vehicles at the Government Street Mercedes dealership. Victoria’s fire chief at the time said that blaze completely burned away the convertible top of one car before the “difficult fire” spread to the second vehicle.
Singh is also charged with arson in relation to an incident in the 700-block of Tolmie Avenue on Aug. 16, where items in a loading zone were set on fire.
VicPD said nobody was injured during any of the Victoria fires, but they resulted in significant property damage. After the fire at its location last winter, Walmart Canada said “setting a fire in a public setting with hundreds of people inside is shocking, dangerous and shameful.”
With files from Christine van Reeuwyk and Chris Bush
A 42-year-old has been charged with four counts of arson in relation to a July 12 fire at a Government Street car dealership, along with three other fires set over the summer. (Photo by Brandon Kainz)
READ: Suspect charged over several summer fires set in Victoria and Saanich
READ: Walmart reports ‘tens of thousands of items’ destroyed after diaper fire at Nanaimo store
