Just a few weeks after and a couple blocks away from where two infill homes were deliberately set on fire, investigators are looking into arson at two other properties in Edmonton’s McKernan neighbourhood.
Firefighters were called at around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to reports of smoke coming from a home on University Avenue near 114 Street.
Crews arrived on scene eight minutes later and found a fire burning on the main floor of the home. Edmonton Fire Rescue said the flames were extinguished 10 minutes later.
READ MORE: Children playing with lighter caused $650K west Edmonton house fire
But then crews noticed smoke coming from a home one block south, at 79 Avenue and 114 Street. Firefighters went inside the home and found a small fire in the basement, which was extinguished before 11:30 p.m.
Both homes in the University of Alberta area were vacant and slated for demolition, therefore there was no damage estimate, EFR said. No one was injured in the fire.
The Edmonton Police Service Arson Unit is looking into the two fires and investigators believe they are related. As of Thursday afternoon, no arrests had been made.
The two fires were deliberately set and are under investigation, the city confirmed.
Station Captain David Hansen said the fires in both houses were not very big.
“When we arrived on scene, the fire was just a small fire, just mostly paper. So the fire hadn’t really gotten going. There wasn’t enough fuel around the fire to really turn the house into a big fire. It was just paper and small debris,” he said.
Hansen said he does not think there is a fire bug, saying those responsible could potentially have been squatters, and residents should not be concerned.
“These are one-offs. There’s houses all over the city that are slated for demolition so I don’t think it’s an issue,” he said.
The two houses affected by the blazes are part of a group of five that are slated for demolition. The land will then be developed into a 150-unit, six-storey apartment building called McKernan Crossing.
Real estate developer Ward Fleming said he heard about the fires Thursday morning.
“We have had some issues with maybe homeless people in the area that have gravitated here because they know the buildings are vacant. It’s a concern for us as well. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can reasonably to keep the building and the project safe for the neighbouring residents.”
Fleming said the houses had been slated to be demolished last month but unforeseen circumstances pushed the demolition date to next week. He said measures will be taken in the interim.
“We’ll fix the fence. We’ve got a security guard on our other project that will be stopping by so we think we’re doing everything we can to make sure, for the next few days, while the structures are still up, everybody around is safe,” he said.
Fleming said the fires will not affect the timeline for the new development. Construction is slated to start in September and will take two years to complete.
READ MORE: Arson causes $200K damage to under-construction infill homes in McKernan neighbourhood
The fires come after an infill home being built on 75 Avenue near 112 Street deliberately set on fire on July 16, causing $200,000 in damage to the structure and the neighbouring skinny home.
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