Nanaimo RCMP issue warning after series of suspicious fires
Police and firefighters in Nanaimo are encouraging residents to be on the lookout as RCMP investigate multiple suspicious fires that recently took place in the city's downtown.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, more than 20 suspicious fires have been set in the downtown area over the past three months.
Police say most of the incidents have been minor and generally involve cardboard or other combustible materials being lit inside dumpsters.
However, a fire that took place on June 4 was much more dangerous, according to police, and could have caused "significant damage" to a business if had been allowed to spread.
The fire occurred beside a business on Cliff Street and was doused by firefighters, say police.
"The biggest concern we have is combustible materials stored outside businesses overnight. Most are added to dumpsters that are not secured," said Nanaimo fire chief Tim Doyle in a release Tuesday.
"These need to be locked and the waste material disposed of or removed from the site daily," he said.
RCMP say police and fire investigators are coordinating their work, especially since fire crews are often the first on scene at a fire.
"As a result, they play an integral role in the preservation and collection of forensic evidence and in identifying possible suspects and witnesses to the incident," said Nanaimo RCMP on Tuesday.
Police are also asking for business owners and residents to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour because some firebugs may examine potential fire sites before they act.
"To date, our officers have identified several persons of interest who may be responsible for some of these fires," said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP. "There are still many fires that remain unsolved and this is troubling."
Anyone with information on any of the fires is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
To protect your property from fires, fire chief Doyle has several tips:
- Ensure cardboard, pallets, used cooking oil, containers, Styrofoam or packing materials are removed
- Practise good housekeeping rules by cleaning out next to buildings, alcoves and alleyways
- Keep lawns mowed and other landscaping maintained to reduce flammable objects around businesses and residences
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.