Police have now confirmed that a 3-alarm blaze that broke out late Tuesday night in View Royal is considered suspicious.
The fire completely destroyed one trailer and caused serious damage to another unit on the Songhees Nation land in View Royal. It also consumed a vehicle parked in the driveway.
Emergency crews were called to the 1500-block of Middle Road near Admirals and Craigflower Roads at 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night.
The fire was discovered by a sleeping resident who was alerted by a functioning smoke detector within her home.
Firefighters arrived on scene to find a trailer was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to an adjacent unit next door.
It took 39 firefighters from View Royal, Colwood, and Esquimalt to battle the flames.
A total of four people residing in the two trailers were able to evacuate their homes before fire crews arrived. Several witnesses said they saw them jumping out of their windows to get to safety.
There were no injuries were reported. The displaced residents will be looked after by emergency social service teams.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but police said evidence gathered at the scene suggests the fire was deliberately set.
“This fire caused a significant amount of damage. The flames spread to a nearby trailer and it was contained from there,” said Cst. Saggar of the West Shore RCMP. “Many lives could have been at risk had it grown further.”
According to West Shore RCMP, someone of interest has been identified and they are now looking for witnesses to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to call West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264 or Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
With files from Brishti Basu
