Twenty-one-year-old Elisha Jimmy of Creston faces a charge of arson causing bodily harm as a result of an RCMP and Creston Fire Rescue investigation into an April 30 apartment fire.
Jimmy remains in custody until a scheduled court appearance on Monday, according to an RCMP spokesman.
A young Creston man, Ross Millar, remains in critical condition in Vancouver General Hospital. A report on GoFundMe.com states that Millar underwent a seven-hour skin graft operation on Thursday.
Creston firefighters responded to an alarm in the early hours of April 30, where they found an 18th Avenue South building partially in flames. Four other apartment dwellers were evacuated safely but a severely burned Millar, whose apartment appears to be have been where the fire started, had to be rescued by firefighters. He was initially treated at Creston Valley Hospital and later airlifted to Vancouver with life-threatening injuries.
Following an intensive investigation by RCMP Creston and Kelowna’s South East District, as well as Creston Fire Rescue, Jimmy was identified as “a person of interest”, according to RCMP, and arrested on Monday.
“The firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to two apartments within the building,” Creston fire Chief Mike Moore said during the investigation. “Although the remainder of the tenants were displaced, they will likely be able to get back into the building within a week or two.
“The firefighters performed an incredible job for which they train very hard. With one man rescued from the fire after succumbing to heat and smoke, and getting four other occupants out of the building and to safety, there is nothing more gratifying to see for me, as the fire chief.”