WATCH: An unusually busy Halloween night for first responders last night, they were called to a string of suspicious fires that broke out in both Saanich and Victoria. Kori Sidaway has more.
Authorities in Victoria and Saanich are investigating numerous suspicious fires Wednesday night.
“Our call volume was on par with where it would be, but with regards to fire activity specifically, three incidents are out of the norm,” said Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson.
Three suspicious fires broke out in Victoria last night, starting at 9:15 p.m. when crews responded to a camper on fire on the 3000 block of Alder Street.
“But just as we were clearing that one in the same 100 block, we had a report of a structure fire,” said Atkinson.
A detached garage and the car was fully destroyed after it lit up just down the road.
Fire officials say there was further damage to the home because of heat exposure.
There were no injuries from either blaze and the property damage is estimated to be $ 100,000.
Two blocks away, a third fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. on the 3000 block of Fifth Street.
“It would certainly appear there could be some relation. All happened within a relatively short time frame in a relatively small geographical area, in a five block radius,” said Atkinson.
And it wasn’t isolated just to Victoria.
“It was out of the ordinary for fire activity,” said Saanich Asst. Fire Chief Rich Pala.
Saanich also saw three suspicious blazes break out during the evening.
Just before 8 p.m. on the 200 block of Burnside road west, a portion of fence was found alight. A passerby put out the fire with her hands, suffering burns in the process, but prevented it from spreading.
Half an hour later and only one block away, the front grill of a work van was deliberately set on the 300 block of Burnside Road.
Residents of the home were able to knock down the flames with a garden hose, and Saanich firefighters arrived to ensure the fire was put out.
A couple hours later, at 11:20 p.m., Saanich fire crews went to the 1500-block of Cedar Hill Road where rolls of carpet were lit near a five-tonne moving truck.
There was no damage to the unlicensed van that appeared stored on the property.
Pala says with the number of Halloween fireworks that were set, investigators have not ruled out that fireworks may have been a cause.
With all fires across jurisdictions deemed suspicious, both Saanich and Victoria fire officials will be investigating in the coming days. Police are also investigating.
We’re investigating three suspicious fires that occurred last night. We attended 2 fires in the 3100-block of Alder Street and 1 in the 3100-block of Fifth Avenue. Detectives are working with the @VictoriaFire730 Anybody with information pls contact us at 250-995-7654. #yyj
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) November 2, 2018
Officials say it is too early to determine if the fires are connected.
A vehicle destroyed in the 3100-block Alder Street in Victoria Wednesday night, the second fire in less than an hour in the area. Victoria and Saanich authorities are investigating numerous suspicious fires overnight.
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