Two suspicious early morning fires being investigated as possible arson

Ottawa police say it is investigating two separate fires at businesses Monday morning as potential arsons.

A call into 911 around 4:45 a.m. came in to Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) for reports that a vehicle had crashed into a business which caught fire and was spreading flames into that business.

It occurred on Rideau Street in ByWard Market and by the time fire crews arrived, both the vehicle and building were completely engulfed in flames, according to OFS.

Two searches of the building confirmed there was nobody inside the building and in about an hour, the fire was deemed under control.

One firefighter was treated on scene for a minor injury by paramedics.

Second fire near Little Italy

At around 5 a.m., OFS responded to another fire in a commercial building on Preston Street near Little Italy.

This fire was coming from the roof of the structure and not within the building. It was confirmed no one was inside this building either and there were no injuries reported.

Ottawa police have since said it is treating both incidents as suspected arson and have called them “suspicious”.

Police did not directly confirm if the two fires were related but they both appear to be located at Ottawa dispensaries.