Charges laid in arson at historic Hamilton church last month

A 44-year-old man has been charged in connection with a fire at the historic First Unitarian Church of Hamilton earlier this month.

Investigators say they responded to a fire at the church located at 170 Dundurn St. South just after 7 a.m. on Nov. 5.

Emergency responders arrived to find a smoldering recycling bin beside a gas meter and swiftly averted the potential for significant harm.

Detectives continued to investigate the incident and with the aid of community support were able to identify the suspect as Robert Douglas of Hamilton.

WATCH MORE: Hamilton police investigate suspected arson at church

Douglas has been arrested and charged with arson disregarding human life and possession of incendiary material.

In a release Wednesday morning, Hamilton police said of the incident “Our community’s safety is of paramount importance, and incidents like these underscore the vigilance needed to safeguard our places of worship.”

Despite the church being known as a safe haven for the LGBTQ2A+ community in the city, police say the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime.

Anyone with information that could assist in this investigation is asked to contact the arson unit at 905-540-3819.