Fires in vacant buildings and vehicles in multiple jurisdictions have become a matter of increasing concern and have prompted a series of investigations.
On May 3, Puslinch deputy fire chief Louis Gomes stated there are 18 suspicious fires in Wellington County under investigation.
Gomes said the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, Wellington OPP investigators and local fire services “are teaming up to investigate these incidents.”
A report to Puslinch council stated, “There is a pattern to the way the fires are being set. The person(s) are targeting abandoned homes, barns and vehicles in the early hours of the morning.”
Gomes said “staff recognize the seriousness of suspicious fires in our community and the impact these incidents of the past few months could have on the safety of the public and first responders.”
He added the fires “have greatly taxed our resources and have impacted our operating budget.”
That is partly due to an increased number of mutual aid calls – and adjacent fire departments are being impacted similarly, Gomes said.
OPP and fire officials are advising owners of abandoned or vacant buildings to:
– secure unlocked structures to prevent unauthorized person(s) from entering;
– remove combustible materials from the structure;
– remove ladders, tools, equipment and other materials that might be used to gain access;
– post “no trespassing” signs;
– chain-off or adequately block driveways and all other means of vehicular access to the property, while still permitting authorized vehicle access when necessary;
– install motion sensing cameras;
– request neighbours to watch properties and make monthly visits to vacant buildings.
The OPP and fire officials are also urging members of the public to report any suspicious vehicles or people to police.
Anyone with information about the suspicious fires can contact Det. Const. Heidi Pautsch or Det. Const. Kevin Detweiler by calling Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Citizens can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at csgw.tips. Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington announced its usual minimum reward of $50 has been increased to $1,000 for helpful tips about the fires.
