A used car dealership was damaged by an apparent arson early on Monday morning in northwest Montreal.
The flames also destroyed four cars, but no injuries had been reported by midnight.
Montreal police (SPVM) reports that a 911 call at around 1 am indicated that the fire had just started at the establishment located on Gouin Boulevard West, near the intersection of 2nd Avenue, in the Roxboro sector of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough.
Montreal fire department (SIM) firefighters had already started putting out the blaze when the first police officers arrived on the scene.
When the firefighters later inspected the rubble, they found a gas can. Witnesses also reported seeing someone throw an incendiary object into the building before fleeing on foot.
The investigation was handed over to the SPVM arson squad.
The establishment was surrounded by a security perimeter. Investigators were expected to visit the premises later in the day.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 26, 2023.