Sunshine Coast RCMP are investigating three fires on Marine Way in Sechelt and a separate fire in Davis Bay for arson on New Year's Day.
Three vehicles were lit on fire near the 5800 block of Marine Way sometime between 11:30 p.m Dec. 31 and 11:30 a.m. Jan. 1, according to a police press release. One of the vehicles was under a carport. No one was injured but the fires caused likely irreparable damage to the vehicles before burning out. Police arrived after a resident reported hearing a pop, looked out and saw a vehicle on fire. Police then discovered the two other vehicles.
"It was obviously during the same time period," Sgt. Gerry Webb said. Police are looking into suspicions that fireworks were tossed into the vehicles. There are no suspects yet and no arrests have been made.
In a separate incident, police received a call from an unidentified male witness of a fire on the deck of the Beach Buoy restaurant in Davis Bay at about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 1.
According to Sechelt fire chief Bill Higgs, one of the volunteer firefighters arrived on the scene from his home in nine minutes and extinguished the garbage can fire with a portable fire extinguisher. Then 18 more volunteer firefighters arrived.
"If he hadn't done that, I think the building would've been on the ground," Higgs said. "It was about to turn into something big."
The lit garbage cans were stacked together under the front deck's overhang. Inside the cans was a jug of combustible liquid.
"It was an intentional fire set," Higgs said. There is an estimated $1,000 in damage to the deck, he said.
RCMP are requesting that the male caller contact police to offer further information. Anyone with information on either fire is asked to call RCMP at 604-885-2266 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
