Vancouver firefighters were kept busy Wednesday, June 7, as they were called to at least a dozen fires in the Downtown Eastside and adjacent areas.
Numerous fires were set, according to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, with the majority in dumpsters or rubbish piles. Within just a few hours in the DTES there was a spike, with four outdoor rubbish fires, two fires in City of Vancouver (COV) garbage cans, and five in dumpsters VFRS spokesperson Matthew Trudeau tells V.I.A.
He adds that there were more outside the DTES as well, including a fire at 668 Seymour St. that was intentionally set and caused damage to the building.
"Unfortunately, this is not out of the norm. Every few weeks a spike in fires takes place in this area, recently targeting COV trash cans and dumpsters in alleys," Trudeau explains in an email to V.I.A.
There are multiple investigations into recent fires, according to the Vancouver Police Department, including the fire that damaged the Ovaltine Cafe, which police believe was deliberately set.
"We review all suspicious fires and conduct further investigations when necessary to gather evidence, identify offenders, and determine linkages," Sgt. Steve Addison tells V.I.A. in an email. "As the number of active investigations frequently changes, we’re unable to provide a specific number of active investigations taking place today."
