Four minor suspects were arrested after causing a fire that seriously damaged an apartment building on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Mascouche, in Lanaudière.
The Mascouche Police Department was called shortly after 11 p.m. for a fire in a residential building housing a hairdressing and beauty salon on the ground floor, on Chemin Saint-Henri.
The fire started on the ground floor before the flames, visible from afar, spread quickly, forcing the occupants to evacuate the premises.
Traces of accelerant were found on site, which supports the criminal nature of the fire, said a spokesperson for the Mascouche police department.
According to witnesses interviewed by the police, four suspects were seen fleeing the scene on foot at the start of the fire.
Quickly located, the four minor suspects were arrested and taken to the station where they were questioned. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The hairdressing salon, however, was a total loss, while the upstairs accommodation, housing foreign workers, suffered less damage.
By coincidence, the foreign workers, tenants of the premises, had already planned to move on Wednesday, most of them having managed to recover their belongings.
Due to the criminal nature of the fire, the investigation has been transferred to the police who will have to shed light on this event, it was added.
