Walmart was closed for parts of five days due to a fire in late February. The man believed responsible has been in police custody since August. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

diaper fire

Top Stories of 2023: Fire sparks evacuation of Nanaimo Walmart, alleged arsonist arrested

Dec 29, 2023 | 2:45 PM

NANAIMO — A man with a documented history of starting fires will face additional arson charges in the new year, including one from a high-profile incident in the Harbour City.

In late February, a fire was sparked in a stack of diapers at the rear of the Nanaimo Walmart location at Woodgrove Centre. It ultimately closed the store for nearly a week and impacted thousands of people looking for groceries, clothing and household items, as well as the attached pharmacy.

“Staff in the Walmart were quick to put it out, they doused it within 60 seconds of the fire but it caused significant smoke damage,” Nanaimo RCMP Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien said at the time, but still tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage was done.

A majority of clothing and baby items, as well as food and other items were discarded as a result of smoke and fire damage leading to bare floors in the usually packed store.

The store re-opened on Feb. 27, five days after the incident, however a charge wasn’t laid in connection to the fire for some time.

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Police said at the time they had a good lead and were looking to identify someone seen lingering in the store for a considerable amount of time prior to the fire.

Mounties believe the person was Edwin Vikash Singh, who is also believed responsible for a series of fires in Victoria and Saanich throughout the year as well.

Singh was arrested in August by Mounties on the south Island and eventually connected to the Nanaimo incident.

He’s been in custody ever since.

Sixteen counts of arson were announced in mid-October, in addition to a single assault with a weapon charge from a Nanaimo incident in early May.

Singh has a range of court appearances in early 2024 in both Nanaimo and Victoria, including a scheduled February trial for the assault charge.

The arson charges are next scheduled for court, for a procedural matter, in Victoria on Jan. 9.

Court records show Singh’s criminal history in the province dates back to the early 2000’s, which includes crimes of violence, property crimes, drug trafficking and breaching probation orders.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Walmart Canada condemned the act, labeling it “shocking, dangerous and shameful.”

“Rest assured, we are cooperating fully with the police investigation. We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including by assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act.”

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