Emergency crews in Kamloops were called to a fire at the Thompson Hotel on Thursday.
It started just after midnight and the RCMP was called to the scene to assist Kamloops Fire Rescue with what was considered “a suspicious fire.”
“Our front line officers conducted an investigation and were able to obtain video surveillance which showed that a suspect had intentionally started the fire before fleeing the area,” said an RCMP release.
“A description was provided to all front line officers and at 03:20 AM, a suspect matching the description was located possessing evidence that he was responsible for starting it.”
The 39-year-old Kamloops man was arrested and brought to the Kamloops RCMP detachment for further investigation.
"It is very disheartening that someone would intentionally start a fire like this in our community putting others at risk for no apparent reason," said Sgt. Darren Michels.
"We are certainly very happy that this fire was observed early and didn't have time to spread."
The man has an upcoming court appearance to face charges for the incident and the full findings of the investigation will be forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service.
Anyone with information regarding this fire is asked to call the Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.
You can also report tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-2477.
