A South Burnaby neighbourhood pub is no more after a “suspicious” three-alarm blaze tore through the building early Saturday morning.
Firefighters were called to the Marine Pub and Brewhouse at 5820 Marine Dr. around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10. By the time crews arrived, flames were shooting 60 to 80 feet into the air, according to Burnaby assistant fire chief Rick Weir.
Investigators with both the Burnaby RCMP and fire department are now looking into what caused the three-alarm blaze that gutted the local pub.
Marine pub owner Pal Singh told the NOW on Saturday that surveillance footage allegedly shows an unknown man walking around the pub’s patio and setting fire to two patio chairs before the alarm was tripped at 2:28 a.m.
Investigators are trying to recover evidence from the pub’s surveillance system, which was damaged in the blaze.
Weir wouldn’t comment on why the blaze was considered suspicious at this time, and he confirmed Singh was cooperating with investigators.
This is about the fifth suspicious fire in the area in the past year, beginning just over one year ago when the site of the old Globe Foundry, on Willard Street, was nearly razed.
More recently, there have been a handful of suspicious fires at several empty or abandoned properties in the neighbourhood, including the old Riverside Elementary School, an abandoned residence in the area and at an organic farm on Willard Street and 14th Avenue.
Burnaby RCMP is trying to sort through the different files to figure out which ones are truly suspicious, Staff Sgt. Maj. John Buis told the NOW.
“Certainly the pub is,” Buis added. “That one really stands out because it’s significant.”
Burnaby RCMP is meeting with fire investigators sometime this week to discuss both the Marine pub fire and any other fires deemed to be suspicious.
Buis said investigators will now determine how many fires there have been in the area and of those, how many are suspicious and need further investigation.
– With Files from the Province (See more at www.theprovince.com)
