Saanich Police are now confirming Saturday’s fire at Home Depot in the University Heights Shopping Centre was deliberately set.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saanich Fire attended the 3900 block of Shelbourne St for a report of a fire. Home Depot staff managed to evacuate all customers and employees and the damage was contained to the store.
The store received extensive water and fire damage, however there is no estimate of the total cost involved at this time.
Other stores within the University Heights Shopping Centre had to be closed for a period of time.
The fire was intentionally set by an unknown person in the paint department. Saanich Police say there is no description of the suspect at this time, but they are reviewing video surveillance which may be released once reviewed by investigators.
Firefighters had the blaze under control within an hour.
“I was in the garden center, when an employee told me a customer lit a paint brush on fire which spread. Cans etc we’re exploding. The Home Depot staff did a great job evacuating people,” one person wrote on the Victoria reddit channel.
“People were trying to pull into the parking while everyone else was trying to get out.”
Saanich Police are asking anyone in the Shelbourne St Home Depot on April 9th who saw anything suspicious, or if you took photos and video at the scene, to call the Saanich Police Tip Line at 250-475-4356.
