The Coquitlam RCMP are looking for two people that they believe may have witnessed a fire that was deliberately set in the Burquitlam area last week.
The suspicious blaze broke out at around 2 a.m. on August 28 when flames ignited at two separate locations — the back door and the front door — at a home in the 800-block of Robinson Street.
After interviewing the victim, a male occupant of the home, police said they now believe two people may have been near the home before emergency crews arrived.
One person is described as a South Asian male in his 30s with short hair who was wearing a grey t-shirt, a black jacket and black pants at the time. He helped the victim get his dog out of the burning house and passed a garden hose to him to help him fight the fire.
The second witness is female and was driving a silver Toyota. She is believed to have been the person that called 911 to report the house fire.
Police investigators are asking these two people to come forward by contacting them at 604-945-1550 and quoting file number 2015-28910.
Coquitlam Fire Chief Wade Pierlot said at the time of the fire that investigators deemed it suspicious when flames were found in two separate locations.
"It is rare to have fire occurring at two different points," he said. "That is suspicious and a disturbing one."
The resident of the home awoke to the sound of the fire and immediately called emergency officials. At one point he said he may climb out a window but decided against it, fearing he could get stuck.
Crews arrived a short time later and knocked down the blaze at the back door, allowing the occupant to make his escape.
The fire at the front of the house was harder to contain, Pierlot said.
It moved quickly up into the attic of the structure and crews spent about two hours trying to get the flames under control. By 4 a.m., the fire was out.
Pierlot said crews have to exercise even more caution in situations where blazes may have been deliberately set because in some cases other flammable materials are placed around the home.
"We never know if there is more," he said. "We really have to be careful and look around."
@gmckennaTC
