Three buildings here were completely destroyed by suspicious fires in the early morning hours of Feb. 3.
Police say they have evidence from the scene indicating two people were involved.
The OPP is looking for a vehicle seen speeding northbound on Township Road 3 at the time of the fires.
“We’re looking to identify the vehicle or the drivers,” said OPP Constable Bob Bortolato.
However, he said there isn’t a description of the vehicle and he is not releasing information about who saw the vehicle.
The fire call came in at approximately 3am regarding a structure fire at an abandoned shed on Highway 7 near Woolwich-Guelph Townline.
Half an hour later a second fire was spotted less than 3km away, at an abandoned home and barn on Township Road 3.
Highway 7 fire
When the fire department arrived at the first fire on Highway 7 they found a single-storey shed fully engulfed in flames, explained Guelph Fire Department deputy chief Dave Elloway in a press release.
Pumpers and tankers from Guelph and Woolwich Township’s Maryhill station were on the scene.
Township Road 3 blaze
When crews arrived at the second scene just before 3:30am they saw a large barn engulfed in flames.
“A further check of the property revealed the stone house on the property also to be on fire,” Elloway said.
There were three Guelph pumper and tanker trucks on scene as well as an aerial truck. Pumpers from Maryhill and Conestoga were also on the scene.
Guelph Fire crews remained on scene monitoring the barn, which continued to burn for much of the day, Elloway said on Feb. 3.
“The crews will remain to ensure that the fire does not spread beyond the involved structure.”
All structures were destroyed but there was no damage estimate and no injuries were reported.
“Both of these fires are suspicious in nature due to the timing and proximity of the two incidents,” Elloway said.
Suspicious fires
Over the past five months there have been about a dozen suspicious fires in Guelph-Eramosa and neighboring municipalities.
“We’re actively looking at all the fires and looking to determine if there’s any links between all of them or some of them,” Bortolato said.
The Guelph Fire Department is investigating the Feb. 3 fires, as are the Wellington County OPP, the West Region OPP Forensics Identification Services Unit and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.
Anyone with information about the fires can call the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.csgw.tips. Tip providers may be eligible for a cash reward.
