[PHOTOS] Third arson in two days in Quebec

The Quebec City Police Department (SPVQ) is investigating a new arson. This time, it was an apartment building in Vanier that was hit on Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out around 5 a.m. in a building located on avenue Gauvin, near the intersection with rue Arthur-Gagné.

The Quebec Fire Protection Service (SPCIQ) quickly brought the flames under control. There was no significant spread or damage, but four people will not be able to return to their homes.

The victims were taken care of by the Red Cross, while the Fire Commissioner went to the scene to understand what happened.

There are indications that this may be a criminal act. The file was therefore transferred to the SPVQ. Investigators and forensic identification technicians went to the scene to shed light on the situation.

The scene was protected by a large security perimeter to allow investigators to do their work.

Wave of arsons

Tuesday morning’s fire is the third in two days to be lit on SPVQ territory.

The day before, a wood storage container was set on fire in a building housing the container rental company Entrepôt Urbain QC. Fortunately, no one was injured and the damage was limited to just the storage area.

Then, a few hours later, during the night, a truck belonging to the Lorette Golf Club was targeted by an arson attack near the Corridor des Cheminots cycle path.

The truck, which was no longer in working order, was razed by the flames, as was a small part of the vegetation surrounding it. Once again, no one was injured during this event.

In recent weeks, the Limoilou sector had also been the scene of two arson attacks. The first targeted an abandoned building on 3rd Street and did not cause any injuries.

The second required the evacuation of residents of a large building of around a hundred housing units and left four injured, including three affected by smoke, on Bardy Avenue.

Five arsons set in Quebec over the past month

May 24 – 1991, Avenue Bardy (Limoilou)

• Building with 105 apartments and 13 floors
• Complete evacuation and intervention of 60 firefighters
• Column of black smoke visible in a 12th floor apartment
• Indications suggest that it was a voluntary act

June 8 – 203, 3e Rue (Limoilou)

• Building vacant for several months, so there were no injuries
• Fire broke out on the first floor
• Intervention of 35 firefighters to prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring buildings
• The building was the target of another arson attack on April 27

June 16 – 199, 2nd Avenue (Limoilou)

• A fire broke out in a wood container in a commercial building
• No spread, only the storage space was affected
• Around 15 firefighters took part in the intervention
• The company Entrepôt Urbain QC was the victim of another fire last November

June 17 – 12986, rue Monseigneur-Cooke (Loretteville)

• Fire started in a truck belonging to the Lorette Golf Club
• Spread limited to a small radius of vegetation around the vehicle
• Rapid extinguishing by around ten firefighters

June 18 – Avenue Gauvin, near rue Arthur-Gagné (Vanier)

• Four-unit building
• No spread to apartments, only the garage was affected
• No one was injured, but four people were unable to return to their homes

– With the collaboration of the QMI Agency