Victoria police continue to investigate 30 suspicious fires, but aren’t sure whether they’re looking for one individual whose behaviour is escalating or for copycats.
“Arsons are particularly hard to investigate but it is a priority for us,” said Victoria police spokesman Const. Mike Russell. “We have lots of people working on it.”
There have been no arrests.
On the night of Aug. 3 and early morning of Aug. 4, eight fires were set. Among the areas targeted were grassy areas, sheds, abandoned buildings and the porch of an occupied house on Prior Street.
Resident Forest Ross and a friend were roused by a smoke alarm and put the flames out with a garden hose before the fire could spread to the propane tanks.
“Definitely, we’re really concerned about people who are being put at risk by this,” Russell said.
“Certainly, when it’s an occupied house, it ups the ante and that’s something we look at very closely.”
On Aug. 5 about 3:15 a.m., a fire was set at an abandoned house on Speed Avenue. Maintenance workers for the property suspected the fire was set by tenants who had recently been evicted.
Victoria Fire investigator Megan Sabell said there weren’t any signs of an accelerant such as gasoline at any of the fires. The arsonists used materials already on site, she said, such as pallets, cardboard or other debris.
“This would appear to be an escalation if it is linked to those smaller fires earlier in the year,” Sabell said.
Between April and June, Victoria police investigated about a dozen suspicious fires to dumpsters, storage sheds and vehicles in a covered parking area.
Merina Rogers and her boyfriend were lucky to escape unharmed after someone set fire to the back deck of their house on Ashgrove Street, near Royal Jubilee Hospital, on June 23. Two paramedics passing about 5 a.m. noticed the fire spreading to the rooftop and banged on the door until the couple woke up.
Sabell said when a fire appears suspicious, she starts eliminating the possibilities, such as electrical, spontaneous combustion or smoking materials.
She provides Victoria police with information on the fire science and police investigators look for forensic evidence, canvass for witnesses and try to identify patterns. Police will also look at convicted arsonists for a list of suspects.
Serial arsonists typically have a trademark and tend to use the same technique for lighting fires, said Tyrone Heigh, assistant fire chief for Parksville Fire and also a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators.
“Serial arsonists, their characteristics are no different than serial killers,” Heigh said. “The mindset is the same. They have absolutely no remorse.”
An arsonist will typically come back at some point to look at the destruction, he said.
“There’s lots of different reasons why someone would commit arson,” Heigh said. “It could be to get a name for themselves, it could be for revenge, could be for financial gain.”
Heigh said while an arsonist might think they’re destroying most of the evidence of their crime, fire investigators can gather clues to determine what kind of accelerant was used or which exit the person used, based on the burn pattern.
“It takes a lot to destroy a crime scene,” he said.
When asked about the Victoria arsons this month, Heigh said eight fires in one night is very rare.
The question for investigators, he said, is: “What’s the link that connects the dots between fire to fire to fire?”
In April 2013, Saanich police were searching for the two people thought to be behind a string of five arsons, including a fire that destroyed the ABC Country Restaurant near the corner of Blanshard Street and Cloverdale Avenue.
A 25-year-old Saanich man was arrested during a traffic stop and was observed to be smelling of acrid smoke. He was released without charge because there wasn’t enough evidence to link him to the fire, said Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Steve Eassie.
In December 2013, a man was arrested for an arson in Victoria and there was enough evidence to link him to two of the April 2013 fires in Saanich, Eassie said.
Tyler Donovan Fraser, 42, is charged with three counts of arson and has been released on bail, awaiting trial.
The 25-year-old remains a person of interest.
Victoria police arrested two people after a suspected arson destroyed a large commercial building at 639 Chatham St. on April 29 but the pair were released without charge.
Russell said the breakthrough in the Victoria fires could come as a result of a tip from the public. Anyone with information on the suspicious fires in Victoria is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654.
Suspicious fires, from Esquimalt to James Bay
Victoria police are investigating 30 suspicious fires, including these ones that occurred between April and August of this year:
1. April 25, 3100 Douglas St.
2. April 29, 639 Chatham St.
3. May 1, 700 Courtney St.
4. May 8, 800 Pembroke St.
5. May 10, 1000 Burdett Ave.
6. May 11, Waddington Alley
7. May 17, 2500 Quadra St.
8. May 17, 900 Caledonia Ave.
9. May 17, 600 Fisgard St.
10. May 19, Beacon Hill Park, near Heywood Road
11. June 2, MacDonald Park
12. June 2, 240 Simcoe St.
13. Aug. 3, 600 block of Fernhill Road
14. Aug. 4, two fires in the area of Colville Road and Lockley Road
15. Aug. 4, Edward Street
16. Aug. 4, 3000 block of Fifth Street
17. Aug. 4, 2915 Prior St.
18. Aug. 4, 2716 Prior St.
19. Aug. 5, 607 Speed Ave.
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