Two arson attacks torch 4 more Montreal-area vehicles early Friday

Continuing a disturbing trend, four more vehicles were set ablaze on the island of Montreal early Friday.

At around 2:45 a.m., firefighters responded to a call reporting a burning car in the private driveway of a home on Gouin Boulevard and 6th Avenue in Rivière-des-Prairies.

The blaze was quickly brought under control before the fire could spread.

Traces of accelerant were found at the scene.

A short time later, at 3:30 a.m., three cars parked in the same driveway on Pierre-Blanchet Avenue near 4th Avenue, also in RPD, were set on fire. Firefighters were able to contain that blaze before it spread.

There were no reported injuries and no suspects have been identified in either attack.

Given the proximity of these two fires, police say there could be a link. In just one week, 16 vehicles have been torched in the Montreal area, including two school buses. Police say they are looking at several scenarios, and are not ruling out a link to organized crime.

“We have investigators working really hard on those cases from the last five days, they are gathering all the information to see if those cases are linked together. We are looking at surveillance cameras,” says SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.

Police confirm that they have stepped up patrols in previously targeted areas, including Montreal North, RDP, and Saint-Léonard.

The arson squad has taken over the investigation of these two latest fires.