Man charged with arson in Grande Prairie residential fire

An RCMP cruiser. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

A Grande Prairie man is in police custody after they charged him with arson following a fire Wednesday at a housing complex in the northern Alberta city.

Grande Prairie RCMP, in a media release Friday morning, said officers responded to a call on Wednesday evening to help firefighters at the complex, where witnesses identified a man they believed started the fire.

Five people were inside the building, which was severely damaged by the fire. No one was seriously injured.

The man was arrested and taken into custody.

Grande Prairie RCMP said in a media release Friday morning they have charged Dwayne Forsyth, 50, with arson, mischief and five counts of mischief causing danger to life. He is scheduled to appear in a Grande Prairie court on Monday.

Grande Prairie, population 71,160, is 385 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.