WRPS leading investigation into ‘suspicious’ Kitchener fire

Tuesday’s fire in Kitchener that caused almost $5 million in damage is now being treated as suspicious.

Waterloo Regional Police say there are circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire that are concerning and they are taking over the investigation.

“We’re looking at the physical things on site” says Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Tom Ruggle. “The remnants of what happened on scene. When indicators are found that are not explainable by the circumstances, what we’ll usually do is transfer that to the police for further follow-up.”

The indicators are considered suspicious in nature, and police have not confirmed what exactly was found. At this point, it’s also unclear if the construction site was secure before the blaze started.

Fourteen condominium units were destroyed and another two units suffered smoke, heat and water damage. For some, it may be months before their houses are rebuilt.

“We had eleven homes that were occupied” adds Ruggle. “All of those persons were displaced up until last evening. It’s my understanding in talking with the developer and some of the homeowners, arrangements have been made to restore some of the utilities today.”

Investigators are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around the time of the fire to call them.

Asset Manager of Losani Homes, Jeremy Kuyvenhoven tells 570 News that security is a main focus forward moving forward.

“We do frequent patrols and make sure things are locked up. I’m not saying this is a bad area by any means, but you can’t predict what other people will do. We just want to maintain a good, secure site for our families.

It’s unlcear what the extent of security patrols were the morning of the fire.

Crews were called to scene at St. Ledger and Louisa Street around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, after they were alerted by a worker heading to site.

Officials will do a re-assessment later today to see if the current damage estimate needs to be updated.