An 85-year-old man remains in serious condition after being rescued from his burning home early Saturday morning. A 49-year-old man associated to the residence is in custody.
Shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 7, Prince George Fire Rescue, Prince George RCMP and the BC Ambulance Service responded to a large house fire in the 2700 block of Merritt Road. At the call, 20 firefighters from four halls responded to the scene where crews saw heavy smoke and flame coming from the roof and top floor of the structure.
In a search for possible occupants a lone male was found inside the residence. He was rushed by ambulance to the University Hospital of Northern BC with serious injuries.
A dog, belonging to the occupants of the basement suite - who were not home at the time of the blaze - was also found on the residence's ground floor.
The fire is believed to be suspicious in nature, and the RCMP's Serious Crime Unit has been called in to investigate.
This is the third suspicious blaze in less than a week. Twenty-five tenants were forced from their homes at Meadowbrook Apartments following a New Year's Day conflagration and a shed fire on 8th Avenue caused about $25,000 worth of damage.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca, or text-a-tip to CRIMES using keyword "pgtips".
