Westboro Beach robot pod destroyed in arson
Posted Sep 26, 2018 09:06:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Robot Missions trailer on Westboro Beach has been destroyed, and the Ottawa Police Service is investigating the incident as an arson.
The trailer was used to house beach-cleaning robots, electronic supplies and extra parts for the bots.
Robot Missions Founder Erin Kennedy says, luckily the robots themselves had been taken out of what she called 'the pod' over the weekend, when the fire is believed to have happened.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident, or anyone who noticed any suspicious activity at the beach over the weekend, to contact the OPS Arson Unit at 613-236-3770.
In the meantime, Kennedy had set up a GoFundMe on Monday to cover insurance costs and the cost of some destroyed parts, asking for $1,700, and the community responded, donating more than $2,800 to help get the beach cleaning project back on its feet.
Officials at Algonquin College have also since offered to assist in the building of a new shed for the robots.
