A Nanaimo man was sentenced to three and a half years in jail after pleading guilty to one count of arson with disregard for human life in connection with a fire at a Victoria pastor's home.
Walter "Theo" Machinski was sentenced June 11 for deliberately setting fire to a pastor's family home attached to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church in the 1100-block of Caledonia Avenue. Machinski was a former priest at the church.
The incident occurred in the early morning of April 20, 2022, when VicPD Patrol officers and the Victoria Fire Department were called to the fire.
Upon their arrival, first responders found the front doorway area and upper level of the home engulfed in flames. The family of five narrowly evaded the blaze, with some family members jumping through second-storey windows to escape, while firefighters rescued others. During their escape, one daughter, 11 years old at the time, cut her arm on broken glass as she escaped from an upper-floor window, and she was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Meanwhile, the pastor's wife required rescue later from her perch outside a second-storey window.
“We are incredibly fortunate that this dangerous act did not result in more serious injuries or loss of life,” said Acting Deputy Chief Michael Brown.
“The bravery of the family and the swift response of our officers and Victoria firefighters prevented a tragedy. I commend the dedication and skill of our detectives who meticulously followed the evidence to a successful conclusion. We are also grateful to the community for providing valuable information and support to the family.”
The house sustained major damage and remains uninhabitable. At the time, it was considered salvageable, although damage estimates were in the range of $400,000 to $500,000.
VicPD's Major Crime Unit led the investigation, canvassing CCTV from Victoria to Nanaimo and conducting a search along the Malahat.
A public request for information aided their search, generating a number of leads that "greatly assisted detectives." The investigation later involved numerous interviews, forensic analysis, and a thorough examination of evidence gathered from multiple locations.
Investigators determined that the offence was targeted and that the accused was known to the family. They've reported the event was not motivated by hatred towards an identifiable group.
