Nanaimo RCMP are searching for a person of interest, connected to two of three suspicious fires in Nanaimo this month.
According to RCMP, three suspicious fires have been set in the area of Seventh Street within the past two weeks.
Just after 7 a.m. on Sunday, April 3rd, fire crews and police responded to a garden shed fire.
The shed, which was destroyed, was located on the school grounds of John Barsby Secondary.
While on scene, police received a description of an individual who was seen in the vicinity of the fire when it was just beginning to smoulder.
The individual was last seen riding a scooter along the footpath that connects to Seventh Street.
The same day, a second fire was started.
Just after 10 a.m., police and fire crews responded to a fire under a pedestrian bridge that is located on the west side of John Barsby Secondary, just metres from the garden shed fire.
When police arrived, crews had already extinguished the blaze.
The fire was deemed suspicious in nature, as it appeared wood had been bundled under the bridge then set on fire.
Fire crews told police they had seen an individual leaving the area as they attended the blaze, and they were able to take a photo of him before he left the area.
The person in the photo matched the description of the person seen near the first fire.
Sometime overnight on Friday, April 9th, a canvas car seat and candle were taken from the front porch of a home in the 700 block of Stirling Avenue, then placed on the back porch of a nearby home.
The seat cover was set on fire but melted before the fire could spread.
Unfortunately, there are no suspects or footage of the theft or fire.
According to RCMP, the location of the fire is approximately a six-minute walk from the locations of the other two fires. However, the third fire cannot be connected to the first two fires.
The person of interest is described as a Caucasian man, with a slim build and long brown hair.
At the time of the first two fires he was wearing a blue ski jacket and track pants with a white stripe along the side. He also had a white scooter with him.
“All three of these fires are troubling because it appears that they were all intentionally set and occurred within a short distance of each other,” said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“Home owners need to be vigilant and report any suspicious fires or persons to the police.”
Anyone with information regarding the fires or who may recognize the suspect from the photo provided is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
