Video shows suspected arson inside Walmart in East Vancouver
Video captured by shoppers reveals the frantic moments when fire suddenly sparked inside Vancouver’s only Walmart Supercentre on Saturday morning.
One recording posted on social media show flames shooting up from an aisle in the bedding section of the store on Grandview Highway.
“Fire! Fire!” people are heard shouting off camera, before an employee yells into the PA system to warn customers and employees.
The Walmart normally opens at 7 a.m, and “was full of people,” confirmed Const. Tania Visintin with the Vancouver Police Department.
“The damage is in the millions of dollars, so it was very serious fire, and we're very thankful that no member of the public was injured,” she said.
The parking lot has been barricaded and tents set up so crews can clear the damage then repair the store.
It is closed until further notice.
While it’s still early in the investigation, police believe the fire was deliberately set.
“We believe that people who were shopping at the time may have seen something unusual,” said Visintin. “If they did, we ask them to call us.”
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