Montreal authorities are probing two separate arson incidents that took place overnight in the Rivière-des-Prairies neighborhood, resulting in the destruction of a total of seven vehicles.
The initial blaze was reported shortly after 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, with a 911 call alerting officials to a vehicle engulfed in flames on Gaston Maillet Ave. close to Joliet Curie Ave. A cube truck parked on the street was completely consumed by the fire. Firefighters were already on the scene containing the blaze by the time police arrived.
Upon investigation, authorities discovered incendiary materials at the site, indicating that one or multiple individuals deliberately set the vehicle ablaze before escaping. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and surrounding properties remained unscathed.
Approximately an hour later, a second arson incident occurred in a business parking lot near Henri-Bourassa Blvd. and Rivière-des-Prairies Blvd. Six vehicles, including four cars, a van, and another cube truck, were torched by one or more suspects who quickly fled the scene. All six vehicles were deemed total losses.
Firefighters swiftly extinguished the flames prior to police arrival, with additional incendiary materials found at the location. Again, there were no casualties or property damage.
Both cases have been transferred to the Montreal Police Arson Unit for investigation. The scenes have been secured for analysis, with authorities looking into nearby surveillance footage to glean more insight into the incidents.
No arrests have been made yet, and the investigations are ongoing.
