It was a busy weekend for Burnaby firefighters, as the department battled two suspected arsons in the city.
The first was Saturday night at 11:30 p.m., at a home in the 2000 block of Paulus Crescent in North Burnaby.
Burnaby assistant fire chief Bryan Kirk said crews were called to the home to find smoke and flames coming from a garage in the back of the property.
The blaze was quickly put out, but the garage suffered major damage. While the rest of the home was spared, Kirk noted there was extensive smoke damage, and the residents living there have been forced out until the home can be remediated.
He said the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, but it appears suspicious and is under investigation.
Firefighters were back at it again early Monday morning fighting another suspicious fire, this time at the Kin’s Farm Market in Market Crossing.
Crews were called to the business at 3:30 a.m. and found a group of wooden pallets on fire.
Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading into the building, but Kirk noted there was quite a bit of water and smoke damage.
No one was injured in either of the one-alarm fires, and both could have been worse, Kirk said.
He said the department has dealt with a spike in suspicious fires in the South Slope area recently, pointing out the majority have been in abandoned buildings.
The department has been instructed to call the RCMP anytime there’s a fire in the area.
In January 2015, the Marine Pub and Brewhouse on Marine Drive burned down in a suspected arson case.
