CANNING, N.S. — A 19-year-old local man is in hot water following a massive fire in downtown Canning.
About 75 Annapolis Valley firefighters battled the raging blaze that was reported around 3:15 a.m. Oct. 6.
In a Nova Scotia RCMP media release issued Oct. 9, police announced that Noah Norman of Canning is facing multiple charges, including four counts of arson and one count of break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence therein.
He was arrested without incident based on these allegations Oct. 8.
RCMP say the arrest was made “following an appeal to the public.”
“The RCMP would like to thank the public for their assistance with providing tips and information to police about this incident,” reads the provincial RCMP media release.
Norman appeared in Kentville provincial court Oct. 9.
He was released on conditions, but the accused is scheduled to return to court Nov. 5.
Multiple buildings lining Main Street, a commercial zone, were damaged after the fire spread to the east and west.
Canning fire chief Jeff Skaling identified a two-storey, residential structure between the meat market and grocery store as the origin point. The meat store sustained smoke and water damage, while the grocery store had smoke-related damage.
A storage building used by the grocery store was heavily damaged.
Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but Skaling said there were no civilian injuries reported.
“It was a big fire,” said Skaling Oct. 6.
“We did pre-plan for this. Fires on Main Street are one of our big concerns because the buildings are old, mostly wood-framed and very close together.”
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