Tenant charged with causing $200K apartment fire

Keaton Robbins

A high-rise apartment blaze Friday that left 20 residents temporarily homeless has been ruled an act of arson by Ottawa Police.

The resident of the unit where the fire started has been arrested and charged.

“He lit his own apartment on fire,” Sgt. David Christie of the Ottawa Police arson unit said on Tuesday.

Cops allege the tenant of Unit 1104 at 360 Bell St. South got into an altercation with a female tenant prior to setting his apartment ablaze. Christie said multiple threats were made by the male tenant.

Leonard Greenleaf, 48, who cops say is well known to them, is charged with arson, threatening, and breaching his conditions of release on a separate charge.

Christie said the 11th floor took the brunt of the damage from the flames.

“The communal hallway had some damage, and there was water damage in the floor below,” he explained. “The other units had fire walls and self contained the fire.”

Estimated damage is approximately $200,000.

As of Tuesday morning, the man remained in custody.

During the fire, three residents in the building were treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics on the scene but weren’t taken to hospital.

“We assessed the three but none on them were transported to hospital,” said Dwayne Gidney of Ottawa Paramedic Service. “All declined to go to the hospital after they were treated.”

Ottawa Police streets in the area for several hours following the blaze.

Source: ottawasun