Man charged in Victoria arson spree facing 2 more arson charges in Nanaimo

A 42-year-old man who is in police custody facing four counts of arson in the Victoria area is now facing two new arson charges in Nanaimo.

Edwin Singh was arrested by Victoria police in August for a string of fires in Victoria and neighbouring Saanich.

Investigators allege that Singh set three fires along Victoria's Government Street in June and July, and a fourth fire in Saanich in August.

Two of the Government Street fires involved vehicles being set alight – one at a rental car business and another at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, which damaged several vehicles.

On the same day as the July 12 dealership fire, another fire was set in a loading dock two blocks away.

The Saanich fire on August 16 also occurred in a loading area, this time in the 700-block Tolmie Avenue.

"While no one was injured in any of these fires, they resulted in significant damage to property," Victoria police said in a statement announcing his arrest.

In a statement Thursday, the department announced Singh is now charged with two additional counts of arson in Nanaimo, including one that caused an estimated $2 million in damage to a Walmart Supercentre.

The Feb. 22 fire at the Woodgrove Centre retailer forced the store to close for several days.

Workers discovered the fire in the store's diaper aisle around 1:45 p.m. and were able to extinguish the flames but not before significant smoke damage was incurred.

The second Nanaimo charge stems from a vehicle fire in the 300 block of Wallace Street in the city's downtown.

Singh remains in police custody with his next court appearance on the arson charges scheduled for Nov. 7.