An overnight fire that damaged or destroyed more than two dozen businesses at a strip mall in southeast Edmonton on Tuesday was deliberately set, police said in an update on Thursday.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said reports of a commercial structure fire at 34 Avenue and 92 Street began coming in at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday.
Fire crews arrived six minutes later and quickly called in more crews to help battle the two-alarm fire at the Plaza 34 strip mall. The fire was quickly determined to be suspicious.
Police were called to the scene just before 1 a.m. Officers and fire investigators were at the scene later in the morning inspecting the damage.
The fire was brought under control at 2:08 a.m., but crews remained at the scene overnight and into the morning working to make sure the flames were extinguished.
Police said it’s believed that 25 units were destroyed, resulting in several million dollars of damage.
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The Plaza 34 strip mall is home to an ethnic grocery store, a hair salon, a dress shop, jewelers, travel agents, a restaurant, and several professional offices, along with other businesses.
The EPS investigation response team has since taken over the arson investigation.
Police are asking anyone with dash camera or security camera footage from the area between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on April 8 to contact EPS.
Likewise, police are asking members of the public who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area to please come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.
Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
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