Toronto police seek suspect in arson case after house, 4 vehicles set on fire in Weston
CBC
Toronto police are seeking the public's help identifying a woman suspected of setting several fires early Saturday, including a family home and four vehicles.
Police were called to Weston Road and Sykes Avenue around 12:30 a.m. with reports of a fire.
According to initial information, they said a woman set four cars on fire on Weston Road and then proceeded to set something on fire on the porch of a home.
Police said they believe the woman then walked south where she lit a garbage receptacle on fire.
CBC News spoke with neighbours about what they saw in the early hours of Saturday.
"It was very intense heat," said Wayne Harris, who was at his son's house next door. "For someone to set a family home on fire is unthinkable."
Harris came out on his porch and saw flames bursting from the neighbour's porch as the front of the house was completely engulfed in fire.
Another neighbour, Andrea Lavallee, heard yelling and went outside to see what had happened.
"I spoke to a girl who said she lived there, she mentioned her mom, dad, and sister, and she was yelling at them to come out the side door," she said.
The front door was on fire, forcing the family to exit from the side and back of the house, she added.
"It was very intense, you could feel the heat from across the street," Lavallee said.
Nobody was injured as a result of the fires, police said.
Toronto Police media relations officer Const. Alex Li called the incident "very concerning and very alarming." He said police received reports of a woman setting four separate parked vehicles on fire before lighting something on the porch of the home on fire.
After, the woman lit some garbage on fire on Weston Road, Li added.
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