A fire early Sunday morning that burned down a vacant home slated for demolition in the Burquitlam area may have been deliberately set.
Coquitlam fire chief Tony Delmonico said the blaze, which occurred in the 600-block of Smith Avenue, was "very suspicious" due to the amount of fire and the fact it started deep inside the structure.
"It looked like the fire started inside a boarded up building without power and without gas," he said. "In most of these cases the majority of times you find it was deliberately set."
Firefighters were dispatched shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning to battle the blaze after smoke was spotted by a Coquitlam RCMP officer out on patrol.
By the time crews arrived they found extensive fire on the main floor on the north side of the property. Crews quickly conducted a search of the premises and determined that the structure was not occupied.
Because the home was vacant and slated for demolition, Delmonico said crews took a more defensive approach to fighting the blaze. In cases where a perimeter attack is used, he added, the fire can often take longer to extinguish but keeps firefighters safe.
"Crews did the right thing," he said. "If they had done an interior fire attack... there is a greater risk for danger of one of our firefighters getting hurt."
The property is currently fenced off and patrolled by a security guard and another vacant building in the area has been secured, Delmonico added.
Because arson is a possible cause of the fire the Coquitlam RCMP will also be involved in the investigation, he said.
