Charges have been laid in connection with a blaze at a Vaughan grocery store Sunday night.
At 7:30 p.m., York Regional Police officers responded to a fire at a grocery store located in the area of West Road and Rutherford Road.
Police said smoke could be seen pouring out from inside the store when they arrived on scene.
All store employees and customers inside the store at the time were safely evacuated from the premises as Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services worked to get the fire under control and extinguished.
On Monday, police released surveillance camera images of two suspects wanted in connection with the fire. According to York police spokesperson Const. Andy Pattenden, video surveillance captured two males walking into the grocery store and eventually lighting a bag of chips on fire.
The two suspects allegedly placed the bag of chips back onto the rack before leaving the store.
Police said the estimated cost of damage to the store is more than $2 million. The store will remain closed until further notice.
Following the release of the video surveillance, police were able to identify and arrest two suspects.
A 15-year-old youth and a 14-year-old youth, who cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, turned themselves into police on Monday evening.
The two suspects have been charged with arson with a disregard for human life and are expected to make an appearance in a Newmarket court on Tuesday for a bail hearing.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7441 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
