Another Montreal business targeted by arson attack: police

Montreal Fire Department/Securite incendie Montreal truck - file photo (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News Montreal)

Just like last Saturday, another Montreal business was the target of arson over the weekend.

A 911 call was made around 3:20 a.m. Saturday reporting smoke billowing from a business on Saint-Denis Street, near Crémazie Boulevard in the Villeray district.

"When police arrived on the scene, firefighters were in the process of bringing the blaze under control. According to preliminary information, a window and a glass door of the business had been smashed and an incendiary object may have been thrown inside," said Caroline Chèvrefils, spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

She confirmed that an incendiary object was found at the scene.

No injuries were reported, as the business was closed at the time. Damage to the business was minor.

No immediate arrests were made.

Firefighters handed over the investigation to the SPVM's arson squad.

"The scene has been secured for investigators, who will be there later today to analyze the scene and try to understand the exact circumstances of this event," said Chèvrefils.

"Checks will be made on nearby buildings to see if their surveillance cameras might have captured images of the suspect(s)."

It's the latest in a series of arsons targeting businesses in the metropolis.

Last March, police launched Project Mèche, in collaboration with police departments in Montreal, Laval and the North Shore, to investigate the wave of arsons linked to extortion schemes and criminal attacks.

The SPVM says there's been an increase in arsons this year, with 193 cases and 30 arrests between January and April, compared with 120 cases and 20 arrests during the same period a year ago.

 This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 27, 2023.