Vancouver authorities investigate 2 suspicious fires from over the weekend as blazes mount

Arson investigators in Vancouver are looking into two suspicious fires from over the weekend, one at the Chinese Cultural Centre and another not far away on East Hastings Street.

Meanwhile, firefighters say they are responding to an increasing number of fires this year, with many of them in Vancouver's poorest neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside.

"This is very, very concerning to us and very concerning to the neighbourhood … we're going to do whatever we can to solve this case. It will start with identifying the person who set the fire and understanding what their motive was," said Sgt. Steve Addison on Monday about a fire behind the Chinese Cultural Centre on East Pender Street on Sunday.

This latest suspicious fire in Vancouver started Sunday afternoon outside the cultural centre in a laneway but did not burn through into the building, although it caused significant smoke and water damage to the centre,  Addison said.

Bill Kwok, who speaks for the cultural centre, pointed out the remnants of small fires around the building that people often set to keep warm at night. He said Sunday's fire was much more worrisome as people were in the building when it broke out.

"When you have a fire, it's not like someone breaking in and breaking a window. Someone could get hurt badly by this," he said. "And to lose the facility and not be able to use it for the community, it would be a shame."

Surveillance video shows a person at the location of the fire around the time it began. Officers are trying to identify the suspect.

Watch | Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim speaks about a fire at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver:

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim visited the site on Monday to survey the damage and expressed dismay at the number of fires in the city, some of them apparently set with little regard for human life.

"It's really disappointing. We don't know exactly what happened … but it's terrible for the community. It sends a lot of wrong signals to the community. I think it scares the community and the fact that we have to deal with this crap. It's terrible."

The Vancouver Fire Rescue Service (VFRS) say there has been a significant increase in fires in the city so far this year.

In an email to CBC News, the fire department said there has been a 17 per cent increase in outdoor fires this January and February compared to the same months last year.

And it says one out of five fires was incendiary, meaning they were set on purpose.