Hamilton police arrest man for arson after fire at Sanford Ave. home

Hamilton police have arrested a man wanted for setting fire to a home in February with a couple and their child inside.

Police released a video two weeks ago showing a male suspect walking across the street, turning on a headlamp and climbing up the stairs of the front porch at 48 Sanford Ave. South.

A fire then started shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the house.

READ MORE: Video shows suspect setting fire to Sanford Ave. home in Hamilton

Police have arrested Edward Christopher James Ypma, 50, of Hamilton and charged him with the following offences:

• Arson – disregard for human life
• Possession of incendiary material
• Two counts of fail to comply with probation
• Failure to comply with release order

Garrett Anstey said he was in the upstairs of his apartment with his wife and daughter when he heard people downstairs screaming “fire.”

The flames and smoke filling the home trapped Anstey and his family in the upstairs of the home. The family was forced to jump from a second-storey window in order to escape the blaze.

The other people in the house managed to get out from the main floor after warning Anstey and his family of the blaze.

The fire led to approximately $250,000 in damages.

READ MORE: Witnesses hear ‘loud bangs’ before fire started at home in Hamilton