West Van police, firefighters investigate suspicious early morning fire

One man was sent to hospital and a West Vancouver home was damaged after a suspicious early morning fire broke out in the 300 block of Kawtin Road Friday morning.

It’s the second time in five months emergency crews have been called to a suspicious fire in the same block of that street.

Police were called to the home in Xwemelch'stn (Capilano 5 Reserve) near to the Lions Gate Bridge at 5:30 a.m. by a report of a disturbance, said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department.

The first police officer who arrived on scene found a woman on the front lawn who said a fire had started inside. Fearing there may be someone trapped inside, the police officer attempted to enter the second floor of the home but had to back out quickly after seeing “large amounts of black smoke,” light and heat coming from behind a door, said Goodmurphy.

Other officers arrived on scene and did a sweep of the surrounding property, where they found an injured man lying in the backyard. Goodmurphy said officers helped the man – who may have had a broken bone – to safety, breaking a fence to pull him out of harm’s way.

West Vancouver firefighters arrived on scene with four fire trucks and called in assistance from North Vancouver firefighters. They were able to quickly bring the fire under control from inside the home.

The fire started upstairs in a southeast corner of the home, said Mike Hodges, assistant chief of operations.

Most of the damage was contained in that unit on the top floor of the home. Neighbouring homes also sustained some damage, including plastic cladding that melted in the heat from the fire.

Fire investigators were on scene Friday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and is considered suspicious, said Goodmurphy.

In August, West Vancouver police were called to another suspicious fire in the same block and arrested a suspect nearby. Scott Ryan Woods, a 33-year-old Surrey man, has been charged with arson in that fire. His next court appearance is in January.

At the time, investigators said the victim and suspect knew each other and the attack was targeted.

Goodmurphy said Friday he could not provide information about whether the two fires are linked.

Anyone with information about Friday's fire is asked to contact the WVPD Major Investigations Team at 604-925-7300. To report anonymously, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit solvecrime.ca.