A transitional house for the mentally ill at 89 McGill Place the target of $225,000 arson on July 30 that gutted the interior of the building.

Thompson RCMP and local Fire and Emergency Services responded to a complaint of a house fire around 4 a.m.

A resident of another home on McGill Place called to report that thick black smoke was coming from the house, said Const. Paul Human, a media relations spokesperson with RCMP "D" Division in Winnipeg. Human, who is temporarily with media relations, is posted in Selkirk but served here in Thompson, too, until several years ago.

The residence was not occupied at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported, though there was still some furniture in the home, he said.

The building set fire to at 89 McGill Place is owned by the Keewatin Housing Association but leased by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) for a transitional housing program for individuals suffering with mental illness, said Paullette Simkins, executive director of the CMHA Burntwood Region.

The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner attended to assist with the investigation, and it is currently being treated as arson.

"They (RCMP) believe that someone broke in and set fire to some of the furniture," Human said July 31.

Damage was confined to the interior, he said, but is estimated at $225,000.

The Thompson RCMP detachment continues to investigate with the assistance of the RCMP Forensic Identification Section and the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Thompson RCMP at: (204) 677-6909, or for those wishing to remain anonymous to call Crime Stoppers at: (800) 222-8477 (TIPS).