A middle-aged North Vancouver woman has been charged with arson for allegedly setting fire to her own home.
The charge stems from a fire in a two-storey home at 1154 Harold Rd. in Lynn Valley that broke out around 8:20 p.m. on Dec. 6. Police and firefighters were originally dispatched to the home after a 911 hang-up call.
According to documents filed in court by police to obtain a search warrant, when district firefighters arrived, they found a small fire in an upstairs room of the house had been largely extinguished. Damage from the fire was minimal, but there was a lot of smoke.
Police arrived on the scene after the fire was doused and spoke to one of the homeowners and her brother-in-law, along with a neighbour and a tenant who rented a basement suite in the house.
According to documents filed by police in court, the woman – who lives upstairs and owns the home with her husband – initially told investigators a computer wire had caused the fire.
The tenant who lives in the basement suite told police she heard a woman yell “fire” in a loud, high-pitched scream and saw fire and smoke coming out of the house, according to the document.
A neighbour who ran into the house to help extinguish the blaze told police he saw a number of “small fires” in one of the rooms.
Firefighters who examined the scene indicated to police the “fire was suspicious,” said District of North Vancouver Fire Chief Victor Penman. Police later executed a search warrant at the home.
Zahra Es Haghi Jami Poor, 60, has been charged with arson. She has been released on her own recognizance, with conditions to stay away from the home at 1154 Harold Rd., and not to possess matches, lighters, incendiary devices or accelerants.
Defence lawyer Lawrence Myers, who represents Es Haghi Jami Poor, said he couldn’t comment on the case but added he’s hoping it can be resolved through alternative measures. “She’s a middle-aged woman with no record,” he said about his client.
