For the second consecutive night, residents on a street in Montreal’s Cartierville neighbourhood woke up to the sounds of firetrucks and smells of a criminal fire.
Montreal police say firefighters responded to several 911 calls at around 5 a.m. on Sunday about a burning vehicle near the corner of de Louisbourg and de Tracy streets.
The car, which was in a driveway, was destroyed and the fire also caused damaged to the home where it was parked, according to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
The SPVM says it believes two suspects used an accelerant to torch the vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot.
Police say there was another criminal fire on Saturday morning just a few doors down and it’s too early to say why.
In both cases, there were no injuries and no one has been arrested.
Police say a fire was also set to a parked car in Montreal’s Cartierville neighbourhood on Saturday morning. The image has been slightly edited to conceal the licence plate number. (Stéphane Grégoire/Radio-Canada)
In recent weeks, there has been a string of criminal fires targeting cars, residential property and businesses. Most notably, a fire in a building in Old Montreal on Oct. 4 killed a 43-year-old mother and her seven-year-old daughter. Two men have been charged with second-degree murder and arson.
Earlier this month, Montreal police chief Fady Dagher attempted to reassure people — specifically business owners worried about being extorted — and said investigators are working hard to reverse this trend. He also encouraged parents to work with police, saying that many criminal fires are being set by young teenagers who have been recruited by organized crime groups.