A Nanaimo man is in custody, charged with setting a fire on Christmas Day to the residential group home in which he lived with four other people.
Scot Adam Silver, 27, a resident of a group home at 3793 Norwell Rd. run under contract with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, was arrested for arson on Dec. 25 after a fire broke out in a rear room of the house about 5:30 p.m.
All of the residents were out of the residence having Christmas dinner. The fire was contained to the room in which it originated, police said.
Upon inspection, fire investigators found evidence to suggest the fire had been intentionally set, and the RCMP took over the investigation, said Const. Gary O’Brien on Monday.
“Silver was remanded into custody for a forensic psychiatric assessment,” O’Brien said in a statement. “The assessment has been completed and he has since been transferred to a provincial correctional institution.”
There were four males and one female residing in the group home. All but Silver have returned to the residence, police said.
The home is run and operated by the Columbian Centre Society, a non-profit agency under contract by VIHA, to give support and care for adults with psychiatric issues.
Part of the society’s mandate is the rehabilitation of individuals, so they can re-integrate into society, said executive director Tom Grauman, who has been with the organization for eight years.
“They pass through, with us, all at a different pace. This particular house, where this incident took place, was in fact the house where people have moved furthest ahead,” Grauman said.
— With files from the Nanaimo Daily News
