A 33-year-old man is in custody after police allege he started a fire over the weekend at the Connaught Building in downtown Ottawa, home to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Police said a man started a small fire in the building, just south of the U.S. Embassy on the western edge of the ByWard Market, shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.
A sprinkler system quickly extinguished the flames.
A window was also seen broken open on the MacKenzie Avenue side of the building on Sunday.
A senior source in the office of the Minister of National Revenue told Global News the man did not enter the building to start the fire.
A spokesperson for the CRA also confirmed Minister Diane Lebouthillier was not in the building at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.
There is no estimate yet on the cost to repair the damages, which include the broken window, smoke and water damage, the spokesperson said in an email.
Daniel Groulx, of Ottawa, has been charged with arson causing property damage, possession of incendiary material, and mischief to property.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
A spokesperson with the Ottawa Police Service said no other police jurisdictions are involved in the investigation.
— With files from Global News’s Mike Le Couteur