'I owed him drug money': Man allegedly breaks into London, Ont. apartment, shoots off fireworks

A man who says he was a victim of a break and enter sits outside his apartment at 114 Arbour Glen Cres. in northeast London, Ont. on June 18, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

A wild scene played out in an eleventh floor apartment in northeast London where a man said he had fireworks shot at him.

The London Police Service (LPS) said they were called to “a disturbance” at 114 Arbour Glen Cres. just before noon on Sunday.

Police saw smoke in the apartment and then contacted the London Fire Department (LFD).

“Police suspected the unit could be on fire,” explained Jeff Collins, district chief of the LFD. “It upgraded, became on fire and then we made entry, applied agent and knocked fire down and we're currently ventilating.”

Outside the building, a man was distraught sitting on the steps. Police told CTV News London that man was the owner of the eleventh floor apartment.

London police and London fire were called to “a disturbance” which later turned into a fire at 114 Arbour Glen Cres. on June 18, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Speaking with him off camera, the man said he was a victim of a break and enter.

“I owed him drug money,” said the man who broke down in tears after the traumatic experience. “My front door was unlocked, and he came right in. He grabbed some roman candles and lit them, and I think he aimed them at me.”

The man said the fireworks were intended for his girlfriend for Canada Day.

“I quickly took off as fast as I could, down the elevator and got out of there,” he explained.

When LFD arrived, they did a search for anyone in the unit, but there was no one there.

London police and London fire were called to “a disturbance” which later turned into a fire at 114 Arbour Glen Cres. on June 18, 2023. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Residents were concerned about damage to their nearby apartments, and also were concerned about pets who were left behind when they evacuated.

“There is a lot of water damage throughout the eleventh floor, but fire damage was the contained to the unit,” said Collins. “This actually did escalate from a small event into a large event, and the timely intervention prevented it from going even further.”

Collins said there is some smoke damage in the hallways of the floor, and fire investigators are working to determine cause.

London police said the investigation is in the early stages.