A man put lives at risk on Thursday by pouring gasoline “all over” the floor of his unit, say police. The “increasingly paranoid” man had previously threatened to burn down the building if anyone touched his property.
In a news release, Guelph Police Service explains officers were called to a downtown core apartment building shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday after residents noticed a “strong smell of gasoline” in the hallway.
Investigation revealed the gasoline was poured on the floor of an apartment unit, as well as several items of clothing inside.
About four hours later, a male suspect was located in the core and arrested. He faces charges of attempted arson and uttering death threats.
The Guelph Fire Department attended the apartment building and assisted with clean-up. They found the levels of gasoline in the air were a “danger to life,” the release notes.
According to the release, a man had become “increasingly paranoid” since Aug. 12 that other tenants were planning to steal his belongings and subsequently told several people he would burn down the building if his property was touched.
On Wednesday, tenants saw a man bring a five-gallon container of gasoline into his unit.
