At least 24 vehicles have been the target of suspicious fires since the beginning of the year in the greater Montreal area, the last being a Tesla and a Mercedes yesterday in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
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• Read also: Pierrefonds: three burned vehicles near an opulent residence
Shortly before 2 a.m., firefighters were called to Malard Street, in the west of the island, for the fire of two luxury cars parked in the private entrance of an opulent house.
Initially, they thought the Tesla battery was overheating. But while analyzing the debris, authorities discovered an incendiary object.
Testimony from a neighbor also confirmed that someone had deliberately set the electric car on fire and that the inferno had spread to the other vehicle, a Mercedes.
He does not understand
A criminal investigation was thus opened by the Montreal police in order to understand what happened.
They will try to find images from surveillance cameras in order to identify at least one suspect.
Met by The newspaper yesterday, the owner of the premises said he did not understand what had happened.
The engineer, who asked that his name be withheld, said he did not know who could have attacked his expensive cars and wanted to let the investigators shed light on the event.
The septuagenarian, who lives alone, has no criminal record.
To start a message
Photo archives, QMI Agency
Three cars parked under the temporary shelter of a residence in Pierrefonds were destroyed by a fire of suspicious origin at the end of March.
“It is sure that generally, a vehicle fire is a message, launches the retired investigator Jean-Claude Gauthier, without however referring to a particular case. The more expensive the vehicles, the more money you have. The more means you have, the more there is reason to wonder whether these means are illicit. »
Photo archives, QMI Agency
Three vehicles parked on the site of a company in Saint-Laurent were damaged by a fire in early April.
This latest incident brings to 24 the number of vehicles that have been set on fire since the beginning of the year in and around Montreal, according to a review by the Log.
Unsurprisingly, most crimes occur in the evening and at night.
Photo archives, QMI Agency
A tow truck parked in a pound on boulevard Saint-Michel was eaten away by fire in early April.
The majority are cars, but a few SUVs and a tow truck are also included.
The north of the island is the most affected sector.