WEST Vancouver police now say a fire that ruined nine businesses in a commercial building on the 1300-block of Marine Drive in Ambleside last fall is being treated as a suspected arson.
Police are hoping a tip from the public can move the investigation to the next level.
"We're looking for anyone from the public who may have any information about it. It was initially described as 'not suspicious,'" said Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver police spokesman. "Upon further investigation, it was no longer true to say it wasn't suspicious and so there's still a very active investigation going on."
Palmer could not say what evidence points to the fire being deliberately set, though police have had suspicions since soon after the fire nine months ago.
"We did a very detailed investigation from the outset. This has been a criminal investigation for some time," he said.
Police say they have identified suspects, but are not releasing any details "for investigative purposes."
"We aren't in a position to publicly identify anyone as person of interest or otherwise, but it's still a very active investigation," Palmer said.
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue raced to the building on the night of Oct. 28 when witnesses reported smoke and flames coming from the roof of Tasos restaurant. Crews kept the blaze contained to the kitchen, where it appeared the fire had started. Eight other businesses suffered water damage and were forced to close. Among them: Verandah Antiques, Zhaleh Hair Salon, and H&R Block.
It took firefighters about an hour to knock the flames down, though smaller fires reignited inside throughout the night.
The total estimate of damage is still not known, though it is expected to be extremely high, Palmer said. "It's quite extensive damage. We're talking well into the millions of dollars of damage on that one," Palmer said.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact West Vancouver police's criminal investigation section at 604-925-7300.
