Man charged with arson in College Avenue fire

A 46-year-old man has been charged with arson after a fire inside a multi-suite residence in the 300 block of College Avenue.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s north district general patrol unit responded to the fire report just before 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5. When police arrived, they learned a tenant in the building was believed to have set the fire. The man had gone back to his suite and wasn’t co-operating with police.

“A use of force encounter took place, and he was taken into custody without incident. No other tenants were injured as a result of the fire,” the WPS stated in a news release Monday.

James Andrew Laferriere, 46, has been charged with four counts of arson with disregard for human life. He was detained in custody.