Charges have been laid against a man suspected of starting a fire in a Vancouver grocery store Monday afternoon.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says the suspect entered the Nester’s Market location on Abbott Street near West Cordova Street around 5 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!He allegedly took some items from the store shelves and then started a fire that resulted in “extensive damage to the store,” which has since closed.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Service crews arrived and put out the flames.
In an update Wednesday, the VPD added that officers first tracked the suspect, a man, to a residence in Gastown before he was arrested.
He has since been charged with arson and theft valued under $5,000.
Records show he remains in custody and is expected to return to court on April 7.
Police say Nester’s Market will is still closed due to fire, smoke, and water damage.
The store’s shutdown comes as a hard hit to the neighbourhood after the London Drugs location, also in the Woodward’s building complex, closed permanently in January.