After fires prompted an evacuation at Langara College yesterday, Vancouver police have arrested and charged an individual. Prior to noon on April 1, first responders received reports of a suspicious fire at Langara College’s West 49th Avenue campus, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). A suspect had allegedly entered the college with improvised incendiary devices. At least two of the devices were detonated, causing fires to start, before the suspect fled. According to Cst. Jason Doucette at a VPD news conference held today (April 2), several other devices were left behind. Cst. Doucette said that the VPD’s bomb disposal unit neutralized a third device.
Cst. Doucette stated that sprinkler systems at the building did activate and the Vancouver Fire Department helped to put out the fires. Initially, all classes in the T Building (Science and Technology Building) were cancelled but around 1 p.m., the college evacuated everyone from the campus and also closed its 601 West Broadway campus. Based on information provided by the school and witnesses, the VPD identified the suspect as Nasradin Abdusamad Ali of Surrey, who is a 23-year-old student of Langara College, and alerted other local police agencies. Just after 4 p.m. on April 1, Metro Vancouver Transit Police arrested Ali in Surrey and turned him over to the VPD. Today, the VPD announced that Ali remains in custody and has been charged with one count of arson related to inhabited property and one count of possession of incendiary material. Although Langara College announced at 10:20 p.m. on April 1 that the VPD completed their sweep of the campus, the college’s West 49th Avenue campus remained closed today while the 601 West Broadway campus was reopened.
Port Angeles police officers have arrested a woman for investigation of felony arson in the fourplex fire at Serenity House of Clallam County’s Evergreen Family Village that left three families homeless.
The blaze was reported at 9:10 a.m. Friday and was declared under control at 9:28 a.m. No one was home at the time and no one was injured, according to authorities.
Denise K. Kovacevic, 40, was in custody at the Clallam County jail with no bail set Saturday. Her first appearance in Superior Court is set for 1 p.m. Monday.
Officers were seeking Kovacevic after she was seen leaving the apartment building at 2203 W. 18th St., just prior to the blaze, said Cpl. Sky Sexton.
Also, Sexton said, the location where the fire started — in the living room of one of the units — “isn’t generally where an accidental fire would be set.”
She was found at a family member’s home at about noon Friday, according to the initial police report, Sexton said.
During an interview with a detective, “she admitted setting the fire, but gave off a lot of indications of mental health issues,” which officers hope will be explored during the process, Sexton said.
Capt. Terry Reid of the Port Angeles Fire Department said Friday that the extent of damage was unknown.
Reid said a sprinkler system activated immediately after the fire started.
“It was really under control by the time we got there,” he said.
Reid said an administrator at Serenity House was coordinating efforts to rehouse the three families who were displaced by the fire.
The administrator was not available for comment Friday.
All inmates have returned to the Saginaw County Jail after some displaced following a fire in a commercial dryer.
The fire happened on Friday, March 29 at around 8:30 a.m.
Saginaw County Sheriff Bill Federspiel said that the fire was caused by a clogged vent in a commercial dryer located in the jail’s basement.
Federspiel said around 100-150 people, a mix of workers and inmates, had to move to higher levels of the jail.
“In the process we had to evacuate the women’s dorm, we had to evacuate some other prisoners to higher levels where there wasn’t any smoke,” said Federspiel.
Five STARS buses were called to the scene and officials moved some non-violent inmates to another, undisclosed location, as part of their emergency plan.
“Anytime you have people out of their cells it’s a dangerous situation for us. So, we just want to let the public know we’re making sure that the inmates and my staff are safe. But we’re also making sure the public is safe. So, we’ve had these plans in place for such an event and we’ve never had to use them, but now we’re putting it into action,” explained Federspiel.
On Monday, April 1, officials confirmed that all inmates had been moved back to their regular housing.
Saginaw County Undersheriff Mike Gomez also said that most operations have resumed as normal. The exception being laundry, which is being sent out.
The Saginaw Fire Department said the sprinkler system helped contain the fire and it was put out quickly with help from foam extinguishers.
“We’ve come for small trash can fires, toilet paper fires, but this is the first incident that, or major incident, that I’ve had at the jail. So, it’s a very rare event,” said Saginaw Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Raines.
Authorities were called to the Woodhill Country Club at about 7:52 a.m. last Tuesday, the Wayzata Fire Department said. Several other fire departments also responded to the scene.
When crews arrived, smoke was seen coming from the backside of the building, the department said. Firefighters entered the basement of the club and found fire in the ceiling and inside the walls of the basement, with flames making their way to the second level.
“It’s almost like all of the smoke would clear, and then 5 minutes later you could tell something was burning again because the smoke was pouring out of there,” Wayzata Fire Chief Kevin Klapprich said.
The fire department said ceilings, walls and floors had to be removed to be able to extinguish the fire.Klapprich said thanks to a sprinkler system and firewall in the main clubhouse, that area did not see damage. He believes if there is any disruption to the country club, it will be minimal.
“It’s nice that it didn’t burn to the ground, I’m thankful for that firewall,” Klapprich said.
All units were cleared by 2 p.m.
The department says two firefighters were treated at a hospital for minor injuries; they’ve since been released. No other injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
