More than two years after he was first charged, the man accused of starting the fire that burned down Penticton's Toyota dealership in 2022 will go to trial. 

During a brief appearance by his defence on Feb. 28, Donald Richard Lorenzetto's trial date was confirmed to start on Dec. 1, 2025.

The trial is set to take nine days and will be preceded by a pre-trial conference on Oct. 9. 

Lorenzetto was charged on May 8, 2023, with arson and mischief over $5,000 in relation to the May 11, 2022 fire. 

Almost a year after those first charges were sworn, Lorenzetto was charged on March 26, 2024, with intimidation of the justice system over an incident that allegedly took place the day after the fire. 

That was the same day Lorenzetto and another man, who was never charged, were arrested by police. 

A charge of intimidation of the justice system alleges that Lorenzetto attempted to engage in conduct with the intent of provoking a state of fear in a justice system participant to impede them in their duties. 

He was also charged with an aggravated assault that allegedly took place May 16, 2023, the day before he appeared in court to consult his legal counsel on the arson case. 

A preliminary inquiry into the charges of aggravated assault and intimidation of the justice system is currently scheduled for March 12 in Penticton.