Two charged in series of alleged arsons in Hamilton’s Stipley neighbourhood

Two people have been charged with arson after several fires were set at a home in the Stipley neighbourhood of Hamilton.

Hamilton police say that they were first alerted of a possibly suspicious fire at a residence on Dec. 13.

After this initial fire, investigators determined that the home and associated outbuilding had been set on fire intentionally.

Detectives say the buildings were set on fire three more times after the initial fire – on Dec. 14, Dec. 23 and Jan. 12.

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The total damage from the four fires is estimated to cost around $100,000.

Police executed a search warrant at a home on Hamilton mountain as part of the investigation.

Officers arrested two people from Hamilton, 28-year-old Nicholas Tomasetti (Chine) and 23-year-old Kayla Harris.

Tomasetti has been charged with four counts of causing damage to a property, two counts of break and enter and four counts of possessing incendiary materials.

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Harris has been charged with damaging property through arson and possession of incendiary materials.

Police are opposing bail for the accused and say additional charges may still be pursued.

Officers believe the incidents were specific and targeted and there is no indication of a broader pattern of risk.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact Det. Const. Chad Doan at 905-540-3819 or cdoan@hamiltonpolice.ca, or Det. Greg Blunsdon at 905-540-5085 or gblunsdon@hamiltonpolice.ca.

For those who wish to provide information anonymously, please consider reaching out to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at Crime Stoppers Hamilton’s Website.

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