Same man charged with arson in 2nd Bank Street fire

A man accused of setting a fire in a downtown Ottawa building in September has been charged with arson over a second fire in the same building less than three weeks later.

Robert Patrick Gill, 31, is to appear in court Wednesday to face more charges in relation to the fires on Sept. 15 and Oct. 1 at a four-storey commercial building on the northeast corner of Bank and Somerset streets, Ottawa police said.

Gill had been charged Oct. 1 with one count of arson and one count of breaking and entering in relation to the Sept. 15 fire.

The additional charges include two more counts of arson as well as 11 counts of breaking and entering related to incidents from Sept. 14 to Oct. 1. He is accused of brreaking into the building to commit theft, mischief and an indictable offence.

The Sept. 15 fire started on the second and fourth floors and caused more than $1.2 million damage to the building, which has shops and restaurants on the main floor, and tenants on upper floors, including the Bangladesh high commission and the U.S. Defence Contract Management Agency.

The Oct. 1 fire broke out on the fourth floor but was contained to the office of the Canadian Co-operative Association.