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20-year-old facing 3 attempted murder charges following Kingston pizzeria fire

Click to play video: '20 year old Kingston, Zachary Beamish, facing 3 charges of attempted murder'
20 year old Kingston, Zachary Beamish, facing 3 charges of attempted murder
Kingston Police are investigating a fire in a Princess Street building – Mar 26, 2020

A 20-year-old Kingston man is facing attempted murder charges after police say he set fire to a derelict building that had occupants inside on Princess Street.

Kingston Fire and Rescue crews were called to a small fire at a commercial plaza on Princess Street on Wednesday.

The fire started around 10:30 a.m. in the block between Alfred and Frontenac streets.

“Three people and a pet dog inside the structure were able to quickly escape without injury,” Kingston police said in a release sent out Thursday.

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The fire was contained to the main floor of the two-storey building, which used to house a couple of pizzerias.

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A section of Princess Street was closed for over an hour.

Fire officials say there were no injuries and damage was minimal.

Kingston police say a 20-year-old local, Zachary Beamish, was found downtown at 2:30 p.m. and arrested.

Beamish is now facing three counts of attempted murder, one count of arson endangering life and two counts of breach of an undertaking.

No further suspects are being sought at this time, but police say the investigation is still ongoing.

Detectives would like to speak to anyone who has information about the incident, the accused or any utterances the accused may have made before or after the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Jason Alblas at jalblas@kingstonpolice.ca or 613-549-4660, ext. 6267.

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