A 30-year-old man is now charged with attempted murder and arson in connection to a residential fire in Coquitlam in February.
On Monday (June 12), Crown Counsel approved six criminal charges against William John Allan Pye after a fire at a home on Keith Place near Parkland Drive.
Coquitlam Mounties arrested Pye at the scene.
Pye, who knew the homeowners, is in custody; his next appearance at the Port Coquitlam provincial courthouse is on June 27.
“This incident had a significant impact on the neighbourhood, caused extensive damage to homes and put the people’s lives in jeopardy. We are fortunate that nobody was seriously injured or killed as a result of the incident,” said Sgt. Evo Sokerov in a news release issued Tuesday (June 13).
The incident happened on Feb. 16, 2023, around 11:30 p.m.; the homeowners were not in the home when the blaze began, police say.
Coquitlam Fire/Rescue evacuated the family dog, which was hurt in the fire that also spread to two neighbouring homes.
In a news release at the time, Sgt. Karrie Ellis said that intentionally setting a home on fire “shows a complete disregard for the safety of others."
"We are happy that no one was serious injured and that officers were able to make a swift arrest of the suspect.”
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP detachment at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2023-4413.
-- with files from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News
