A late night fire at a commercial building in Amherstburg has resulted in approximately $30,000-$50,000 in damage and one arson charge.
The Amherstburg Fire Department gave the damage estimates early Thursday afternoon after a fire the previous night at the corner of Alma St. and Sandwich St. S. Firefighters responded to the building that houses F45 and were dispatched around 11:41 p.m., said deputy fire chief Ron Meloche.
“We arrived on scene with flames showing,” said Meloche. “We had the fire out shortly.”
All three stations were called out with approximately 35 firefighters on scene.
No firefighters were injured, Meloche pointed out.
Meloche told the River Town Times last Thursday the cause was still under investigation. The Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment was also investigating the blaze to see whether or not there was any possible criminal activity.
“It’s being investigated by Windsor police,” said Meloche. “They attended the scene (Thursday) morning.”
Officers held the scene overnight and left roughly 11 a.m., he added.
Windsor police announced later Thursday afternoon that a 31-year-old man was arrested in connection with the fire. Police say officers attended the building in the 30 block of Sandwich St. S. where “thick smoke billowing from a commercial building” was discovered.
“Officers found a male lying on the ground near the scene and safely escorted him to a safe location until EMS arrived,” police say. “The Amherstburg Fire Department attended and extinguished the fire.”
According to police, it was determined through investigation the male was allegedly responsible for setting the fire and was attempting to flee the scene.
The suspect was treated for non-life threatening injuries. He was arrested and charged with arson.
No one else was injured as a result of the incident, police add.
Fire crews were on scene for just shy of two-and-a-half hours, Meloche said, as they left around 2:17 a.m. There was damage to the mechanical area of the building and the fire breached the outside wall, Meloche stated.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Windsor Police Arson Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4330. They can also contact Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at http://catchcrooks.com.
By Ron Giofu