Investigators are sifting through the ashes of two suspicious fires in North Vancouver overnight Sunday.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services were called to a fully engulfed home on Oxford Street next to Phibbs Exchange around 8:30 p.m. When they arrived, there was smoke and flames shooting up nine metres above the house, suggesting the blaze had gone unnoticed for some time before it was reported, said assistant chief Jim Bonneville.
In an odd twist, the vacant home was slated for demolition on Monday morning. Firefighters on scene concentrated their energy on beating down the flames to prevent the fire from spreading to the two adjacent homes, also scheduled to be demolished for redevelopment into a six-storey rental building. "It's going to be at least two weeks before they're able to tear the thing down because of the off-gassing," Bonneville said. The fire appears to have started on the back deck, he added.
North Vancouver City Fire Department members were roused just before 4:15 a.m. when fire broke out at a take-out pizza restaurant on the 100-block of West 12th Street. Though it wasn't difficult to quell, the fire did significant damage to the pizza joint and the neighbouring salon, according to assistant chief David Owen.
"There is some structural damage to the building. The main floor joists are burnt out across the front of the store and there's some damage to the structure supporting the roof," he said.
Thanks to the early 9-1-1 call, the building can be salvaged and repaired, Owen said, but the tenant businesses will be closed for the foreseeable future. "It always impresses me that people are aware enough to call things in at 4 a.m. One of the neighbours smelled smoke and called 9-1-1. It could very easily have gone undetected in that neighbourhood until all of a sudden it went poof, and it would have been a lot worse," he said.
Though both fires are being treated as suspicious, there's more reason to suspect the business fire involved foul play, according to Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RC MP spokesman. "There was a broken window with evidence to confirm arson," he said.
At this point, there is no evidence to suggest the two fires were connected, De Jong added.
Police are asking anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity near the blazes to contact North Vancouver RC MP at 604-985-1311.
