Vancouver police have made an arrest in connection with a fire that closed Emily Carr University.
Nathan MacLeod, 40, was arrested on Oct. 11 and has been charged with two counts of break and enter and one count of arson.
The fire broke out on the morning of Oct. 5 on the fourth level of ECU’s Mount Pleasant building after someone allegedly broke into the campus.
No one was injured.
School officials said the third and fourth floors of the building suffered water damage.
After being closed for 10 days, the school reopened for classes on Tuesday. The school says restoration work will continue throughout the semester.
School administrators say the cost to repair damages could run into the millions of dollars.
According to ECU, the damage caused by the actual fire itself was minimal and contained to the Research + Industry Office and nearby hallways.
However, it says the water used to put the fire out caused major damage to walls and ceilings.
“These materials must be dried immediately to prevent the growth of mould, which can cause a variety of health effects,” said the school in an update to students.
“In total, about one-third of the rooms on Level 3 and 4 suffered water damage and need restoration.”
Because the art school needs to hang works and installations, those walls and ceilings are unusually complex and custom built, making the restoration work particularly challenging, the school said.
The part of ECU’s library that stores university archives was also “significantly impacted,” with staff now working to recovered damaged items.
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