19 hours Ago By Millar Holmes-Hill
Article content Could an arsonist be on the loose in ? Police, fire and insurance investigators are probing potential links between a recent spate of deliberately set — and costly — residential property fires in the municipality. “We’re in a position to transition from dealing with the most recent fire and work backwards,” said Sgt. Rob Durling of the Windsor Police Service’s financial crimes unit.
“We are going to go back and review the previous fire dates to see if we can actually connect the dots.” Last month, investigators charged No physical injuries were reported from the latest incident. However, the fire caused an estimated $1 million in damages to the building and a neighbouring property.
The tally from three fires at that same location since September 2023 totals $6.6 million, according to fire officials. “We’ve dealt with countless external partners At the time of the incident, he wore a black sweater with a hood, black Roots pants, and a black Nike toque.
Police said the suspect may reside in the Brampton and Mississauga area. “There has been a lot of investigative time put into this case,” Durling said. “A considerable amount of resources have also gone into this and it’s attributed to the fact that we’ve had multiple fires at that location.
“So for me, I gave it kind of almost extra importance in the fact that I need to solve this to prevent future fires.” Just over a year ago, another fire in Amherstburg’s Kingsbridge subdivision destroyed a newly constructed townhome and severely damaged another. Crews with the Fire Department were called to the scene at 5:40 a.
m. of a blaze in the 700 block of Elliot Point Road that engulfed a high-end, two-storey townhome on Feb. 16, 2024.
The home was part of a fourplex structure that sits at the corner of McLellan Avenue in the town’s north-end subdivision. Damage to the townhomes was estimated at upwards of $1 million, according to fire officials. Durling told the Star that fire was not connected to the Cowan Court fires.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a common theme that properties get burned multiple times,” Durling said. “We have seen it, but we usually see it, not in this case per se, but with more vacant houses.” When asked, Durling couldn’t provide an answer as to the motive behind the fires but suggested it may be linked to the initial investment in the house.
From there, he said, it could be a valuation issue tied to the home’s declining price. “The buyers or whoever’s tied to that residence was looking for a way out,” Durling said. “The easiest way to get out of something is to make it disappear.
“Some fires are insurance- or contract-related and others are just either vengeance or revenge.” As police work to identify the third suspect in the latest Cowan Court fire, they urge anyone with information to call the Windsor police arson unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4330 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or .
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