Neighbour who put out East Vancouver blaze with garden hose now searching for suspect
Adrian thought the yelling coming from the lane behind his home last Wednesday morning was bizarre.
It was just before 6 a.m., and he wasn’t even fully awake.
“I ran to the back deck and looked out my back window, and I immediately saw smoke rising from my alley,” he said.
A neighbour who had driven up on the blaze, which appeared to have been sparked in a box of donated items at the base of a hydro poll near East 20th Avenue and Renfrew Street, had tried to put it out with his flask of coffee.
Adrian went for the garden hose.
Firefighters showed up minutes later.
But it wasn’t until Adrian and other neighbours checked their home surveillance cameras that they realized the arsonist had been caught in the act.
“(We) just had this beautiful shot of him actually doing it,” Adrian said.
He asked that his last name not be used over concerns he could face retaliation.
A neighbour, who gave her first name as Luna, confirmed her family’s laneway camera had recorded a clear frontal view of the suspect as he approached the crime scene.
Other video provided by neighbours shows the man, wearing a black and white tracksuit, white sneakers, and walking with a distinctive gait, stop and crouch down near the box, then after a few moments, walk away.
Within seconds, video shows a plume of a smoke growing from the box. And moments later, full on flames.
Luna told CTV News she was shocked.
"Everybody’s very nice, a very peaceful neighbourhood,” she said, adding that a community centre, park, and school are just steps away.
“I dont know what happened. Why people set fire randomly,” Lunda said.
Vancouver Police confirmed to CTV News they are investigating the blaze, with no arrests made or suspects identified.
“We are reviewing the circumstances, including the location, suspect description, and MO to determine if this has links to any similar incidents in the area,” wrote Sgt. Steve Addison.
VPD also noted that this year, as of June 13, there have been 160 “incidents” related to arson, about the same number for the same period last year.
Adrian, who said he had spoken with fire investigators, edited together video from different neighbours’ cameras and uploaded it to YouTube.
“If there’s something I can do to hopefully create a better sense of safety around my neighbourhood, that’s the only goal really,” Adrian said.
“Big fires start as small fires, and luckily we caught ours,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.