Arsonist sought after car explodes and catches fire at Nanaimo auto shop: RCMP

Courtesy Dolly Skailes
Flames shoot from a vehicle parked at a Nanaimo auto repair shop in an alleged case of arson Monday morning, March 20, 2023.

A suspect lobbed flammable material onto a car parked outside an auto repair shop in Nanaimo causing it to explode and burst into flames in an apparent case of arson, according to RCMP.

The vehicle fire took place outside of the shop at Nanaimo’s Pure Gold Automotive on Wallace Drive Monday at around 6 a.m.

Nanaimo RCMP is investigating the incident as arson after obtaining surveillance video they say caught the culprit in the act of tossing the substance onto the car then walking away.

The surveillance video has not been made public, but a video from a witness who was among the first on the scene shows the aftermath of the apparent arson, with flames shooting from the car’s roof.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue said the blaze resulted in some property damage but there were no injuries.

The motive behind the alleged auto shop arson is currently unknown. The fire is not believed to be related to one that broke out in a Nanaimo apartment building just hours earlier, police say.

Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact them at 250-754-2345.

Jeff Lawrence

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