Mounties are appealing for information after three suspicious fires were set at the same residential building in central Richmond.
While the cause of the fires has been deemed suspicious, the motive for setting them is unknown, according to Richmond RCMP. It’s also unclear if the fires are all related.
The fires were all set at a residential building on Arcadia Road, between Lansdowne Road and Westminster Highway, over the past month and a half.
The first incident occurred near midnight on Nov. 18, when a small appliance fan being used to air out the building was set on fire. The fire “did not appear to be accidental or electrical,” Richmond RCMP said.
Then, in the early morning hours of Nov. 19, in the building’s open underground parkade, someone set a 20-foot boat ablaze.
Richmond Fire-Rescue responded both incidents and the fires were quickly put out, Mounties said.
The third fire was set in a stairwell of the building last night (Dec. 30), which was extinguished by a resident before Richmond Fire-Rescue arrived.
“The multiple fires have been unsettling for residents of the building, as you can imagine,” said Cst. Kenneth Lau, Richmond RCMP spokesperson, in a statement.
“But we know that someone out there has information that can assist us and rapidly advance these investigations so we can identify the persons involved and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Richmond RCMP Watch General Investigative Services is investigating these incidents.
Anyone with information about the fires is asked to contact Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 and quote file numbers 20-31465 (for the fan fire), 20-31644 (for the boat fire) or 20-35581 (for the stairwell fire).
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
