One man has been arrested and police will be recommending charges following an alleged arson on Squamish Nation land Sunday night.
Just after 9 p.m. Sunday, multiple 911 calls came in from the 300 block of Kawtin Road, in the community of Xwemelch'stn (Capilano 5 Reserve).
“When we arrived on scene, it was quite frantic," said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, West Vancouver police spokesman. "There were a lot of neighbours around the area, some of whom tried to actually put out some of the flames with some fire extinguishers.”
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue crews arrived soon after and turned their hoses on the flames. Eventually, they got inside to put out the remaining hotspots and recovered two pets from the second floor.
There was one resident in the home at the time. They were able to escape, suffering only minor smoke inhalation, Goodmurphy said, but the house will be uninhabitable for some time.
“The interior of the home is quite damaged – as you can imagine – from smoke, some fire and a lot of water,” Goodmurphy said.
After speaking with witnesses, police arrested a 33-year-old Surrey man nearby. He is not a Squamish Nation member, according to Goodmurphy. Police believe it was a targeted attack.
“This is a situation that could have been much worse,” Goodmurphy said. “The alleged actions of our suspect put many lives at risk.”
The suspect was kept in custody overnight but released pending further investigation on Monday.
