The Montreal police arson squad is investigating after a suspicious fire in Dorval overnight.
Ten transport trucks were destroyed by flames in a business parking lot, and suspects were spotted near the scene.
“Around 1:30 a.m. last night, there was a 911 call that was made for a fire in a business back yard located on André Avenue near Hymus Boulevard,” explained Montreal Police spokesperson Caroline Chevrefils.
When police arrived on the scene, firefighters were already extinguishing the blaze, but the damage had been done.
“There was about ten trucks that were set on fire and they are a total loss,” said Chevrefils.
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It’s a lot where multiple trucking companies store their vehicles. All vehicles torched belonged to the same company.
“More than one suspect would have been seen near the scene just before the fire started, so the investigation has been transferred to the Montreal police arson unit,” Chevrefils explained.
One man who works in the area but did not wanted to be identified said there had been multiple such incidents in the area of late, and that he wasn’t surprised.
Erica Sendel, who works across the street, said she feels for the truck drivers who lost their vehicles.
“I think it’s actually disgusting. These are people’s livelihoods. This is how they put food on the table for their families,” she said, adding that the trucks can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and the insurance deductibles can be quite high.
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Staff at the yard did not want to speak on camera to Global News but said they were cooperating with police.
Uniformed officers were on site, as well as the arson squad.
“Our investigators were going to go on the scene during the day to analyze the scene and try to understand the exact circumstances of the event of this event,” said Chevrefils.
Montreal police wouldn’t speculate on motive or any possible links to organized crime. The investigation is ongoing.