Kitchener business owner reeling after intentional fire scorches building
A business owner in Kitchener says he’s feeling defeated after his business caught fire again early Sunday morning.
“[It’s] not good. It's been stressful for everybody,” Surajit Biswas said, standing outside the charred S B Leather Furniture building on Madison Avenue.
Biswas has owned and operated the business since 1988.
“A lot of history -- good and bad,” said Biswas.
The “bad” is referring to a previous fire that took out a portion of his business over two decades ago. In 2002, a storage building behind the main facility was destroyed.
Fast forward to Sunday around 1 a.m., emergency services responded to a fire on the same property. This time, at the rear of the main building.
Waterloo regional police say the fire is considered suspicious, with the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) called in to assist with the investigation.
After investigators spent several hours on scene Sunday, police tell CTV News they now have reason to believe the fire was intentionally set.
No injuries have been reported.
While the fire Sunday morning was not as significant as the last, Biswas is left wondering why his business was targeted.
“[It’s] not good for us and for the community,” Biswas said.
Biswas says fire crews informed him early damage estimates could vary once investigators can get inside.
“The fire department estimated structure-wise, maybe $300,000, and maybe inside, another $300,000 to $400,000,” he said.
He’s more so concerned about his employees, rather than the cost of repairs.
“A lot of people work here. Their lives are also critical to us so it's bad for everybody,” Biswas said.
According to police data, they have responded to 268 fires so far this year, with 39 deemed suspicious. For the same time frame in 2022, Waterloo regional police say they responded to 277 fires, with 36 classified as suspicious.
“[Investigators] will look at anything from source of ignition, cause of the fire, where the fire was located, any individuals that were observed in the area at the time,” said WRPS Const. Melissa Quarrie.
As investigators continue to piece together what happened, Biswas just hopes it's the last time he has to pick up the literal pieces of his business.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.