After being damaged by fire last month, Langara College announced that its Science and Technology Building, also known as the T Building, is reopening today (May 6).

At the five-storey building located at the northwestern entrance to the West 49^th campus, all classrooms and labs, as well as the nursing lab and gallery, are reopening today while the Subway food outlet will reopen tomorrow (May 7).

Some areas remain under construction, including offices and meetings rooms, while some student services remain temporarily relocated, including registrar and enrolment services, lost and found, and the office of dean of student services. The building, which was officially opened in October 2016 and cost $54 million to build, sustained damages that are said to cost about six figures. 

A suspect allegedly entered the building with incendiary devices on April 1 and set fires before fleeing. The campus was evacuated while Vancouver Fire Department and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) responded to the emergency.

Based on information provided by witnesses and the school, the VPD identified the suspect as 23-year-old student Nasradin Abdusamad Ali of Surrey, who was arrested by Metro Vancouver Transit Police in Surrey on the same day.     

Ali previously appeared in court from March to August, 2018, for theft $5,000 or less and uttering threats. The charges were stayed.

On April 2 and 5 of this year, Ali appeared in court for charges of arson in relation to inhabited property and possession of incendiary material.

On April 5, the VPD announced that Ali faces two further charges related to a physical altercation with another student at Langara on March 7 and a robbery of a Langara student at a bus stop on March 26.