A 48-year-old man has been charged with arson in connection with what officials said was an intentionally-set fire at Old City Hall earlier this week.
Firefighters were called to Toronto’s Old City Hall around 8 p.m. on Monday after the building’s sprinkler system went off. Police said that a man broke into the building and set three fires within an office on the main floor.
The fire caused about $100,000 worth of damage. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General said that some documents were damaged in the fire, but none of the paperwork was related to criminal cases.
Investigators later said that the blaze was started with some “combustible papers” that were set on fire.
“There was nothing complicated about this arson,” Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Larry Cocco previously told the media.
A surveillance camera image of a suspect wanted in connection with the arson investigation was released to the media on Tuesday afternoon.
Toronto police released the suspect’s name on Wednesday, identifying him as 28-year-old George Powers. He was taken into custody on Thursday morning and charged him with arson, breaking and entering, and failing to comply with probation.
He was scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Thursday.
