19 fires set in 4-hour period overnight in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Chinatown: fire department
Fires 'intentionally set in a very specific area, in a very short time and in very high numbers,' service says
More than a dozen fires were set inside dumpsters and garbage cans in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Chinatown neighbourhoods overnight, according to the city's fire department.
Crews responded to 19 set fires in the areas between 11 p.m. PT Wednesday and 3 a.m. PT Thursday, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) said in a tweet on Thursday morning.
Vancouver police are investigating the incidents, which are believed to be intentional and connected, said VFRS spokesperson Matthew Trudeau.
"These were not accidental, it appears to be from the proximity," Trudeau said in an interview with CBC, adding that the motive is unknown. "They were intentionally set in a very specific area, in a very short time and in very high numbers."
It's too early to be sure the fires are connected, said VPD Sgt. Steve Addison in an emailed statement to CBC.
"We'll work with VFRS to review the circumstances in each of these cases to determine whether they are linked and if a suspect can be identified," he wrote Thursday afternoon.
"If we obtain sufficient evidence we will certainly consult Crown counsel regarding criminal charges."
No one was harmed by the fires, but there was damage to one vacant building, Trudeau said.
At times last night, "a crew went out to put out a dumpster fire, and on the way back it came across another dumpster fire," he added.
Firefighters have responded to about 30 fires in total since Wednesday morning, Trudeau said, whereas they would see about 10 to 15 fires on a typical day this time of year.
The other blazes since Wednesday morning, including a few small brush fires and a fire at a vacant building, don't appear to be connected to the string of fires set overnight, he added.
It's not the only string of fires in the Downtown Eastside that are currently under investigation.
Last month, firefighters responded to around a dozen blazes set in dumpsters and garbage cans in the neighbourhood on June 7, along with several more between Strathcona and the West End.
"This is not the first time this has gone on, there has been at least one other occurrence of this, if not more," Trudeau said.
With files from Jessica Cheung