Charges have been laid in connection with a fire that killed three people at a motel in Prince George, B.C.
RCMP say 35-year-old Justin Aster is charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and two arson-related offences.
Court documents show he is well known to police and made his first appearance at a court in Williams Lake on Friday, when he was ordered to remain in custody until his next date on Thursday.
READ MORE: Three dead in ‘suspicious’ fire at Prince George, B.C. hotel
Three people died in the fast-moving blaze at the Econo Lodge Motel on July 8, 2020.
Several guests of the downtown motel narrowly escaped when flames broke out just before 9 a.m.
Cpl. Jennifer Cooper called the deaths tragic and says officers are proud to have brought a suspect forward to the courts in connection with the fire.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2021.
(With files from CKPG)