A 46-year-old Woodstock man is accused of intentionally setting two fires in Woodstock, including one that destroyed a historic barn at the city's fairgrounds.
As fire crews were battling the massive blaze at the fairgrounds on Nellis Street around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers spotted a man matching the description of an arson suspect from a weekend blaze on Bay Street.
The canine unit was brought in and a 46-year-old man was arrested in the area of Dundas and Huron streets.
The fire at the fairgrounds consumed an old cattle barn at the eastern corner of the property and sent thick black smoke and flames into the sky. It took firefighters several hours to fully extinguish the blaze.
The barn, which was once used for cattle auctions, was destroyed and three other nearby structures were damaged.
The fairgrounds fire came two days after a suspicious blaze at a building on Bay Street at Peel Street.
An official damage estimate for both fires has not yet been released, but police said Wednesday it will be in the millions.
No injuries were reported in either fire.
A 46-year-old Woodstock man is charged with two counts of arson damaging property. Police have not yet released his name, but he is expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is assisting police and local fire inspectors with the investigation. They are expected to remain on scene of the fairgrounds fire throughout the day Wednesday. The public is asked to avoid the area for the time being.
Anyone with information about these fires is asked to call police at 519-537-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
