Police nab Coldbrook arson suspects (Updated)

By Brent Fox

The Advertiser/NovaNewsNow.com

Police have laid arson charges against two young area men in connection with a suspicious fire at a Coldbrook residential structure early Wednesday morning.

The house, on South Bishop Road, is divided into two apartments, each occupied by a family.

Kings RCMP New Minas members arrested a 25-year-old Waterville man and a 17-year-old Kentville youth within hours of receiving a call from the Kentville fire dispatch regarding a suspected arson at a residence on South Bishop Road in Coldbrook around 1:45 a.m. that morning.

Police believe a fire was deliberately set on the front steps of the residence.

There were other fires at the scene during the incident.

Kentville firefighters were at the scene prior to the arrival of police. A tenant, however, already had extinguished the blazes with a garden hose.

Police charged both suspects with arson. The 25-year-old has been remanded pending his appearance in court on the charge. The young person has been released pending his youth court appearance. Respective court dates have not yet been ascertained.

The investigation into the fire continues.

As for the potential of the blaze to have been much worse, Fire Chief Shawn Ripley said “it was a very close call for both families to get out of the house.”

There had been three fires at three entrances of the structure, each apparently fueled by flammable liquid. There was evidence of other fires on the property at the time of the incident.

There were no injuries, Ripley said.

From the call, Ripley had anticipated a bigger blaze calling in mutual aid from Greenwich to Berwick just in case.