Alleged arsonist arrested after 3 fires at Masonic lodges in Metro Vancouver area

Vancouver police arrested a 42-year-old man suspected of arson in three firesat Masonic lodges in Metro Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

The arrest came after an off-duty police officer driving past the Masonic temple near Rupert Street and East 29th Avenue in Vancouvernoticed a man walking away fromthe building as it burned, according toVancouver Police Department (VPD) Const.Tania Visintin.

Video taken by a bystander shows flames licking at an entrance to the temple as aman carriesa red jerrycan to the trunk of a black van. Heis then confronted by the off-duty officer.

The man managed to get away butwas then arrested just before 10 a.m.in BurnabynearNorth Fraser Way and Marine Way, about a 20-minute drive from the location of the last of the fires, according to police.

"He did a great job in stopping and speaking to this suspect,"Visintin told reporters during a news conference, referring to the off-duty officer.

"He attempted to take the suspect into custody, a fight ensued, and the suspect was able to get away."

The Vancouver fire followed two other blazes that were reported earlier in the morning at Masonic lodgesin North Vancouver. Police say no one was injured during the fires or the arrest, and arerecommending arson charges.

Investigators have released few details about the suspect or possible motives, except to say that he has a history of interactions with the policeandno history of arson.

"We don't have answers as to the motive," North Vancouver RCMP Sgt.Peter DeVriessaid. "Those are questions that we want answers to as well."

Visintin said she was not aware of any specific threats to Masonic organizations before Tuesday's fires.

Fires began early Tuesday morning

North Vancouver RCMP received reports of the first fire at the Lynn Valley lodgejust before 6:45 a.m.

A few minutes later, just before 7 a.m., theywere notified of a second fire at Duke of Connaught Lodge No. 64 near Lonsdale Ave.and12thSt., a 10-minute drive away.

First responders said thethird fire was reportedat the Park Lodge Masonic Hallin Vancouverjust before 7:30 a.m.

"This was a really quick-moving, fast investigation," DeVries said.

While police tried to identify a suspect and draw connections between the three fires, officers were postedto other Masonic halls in the city.

In Vancouver, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Seredasaid police were already on scene by the time fire crews arrived.

"They had been contacted by a passerby," he said, adding a fire investigator was also atthe scene to determine the cause of the fire.

The glass of the centre's front door hadbeen smashedand the inside stairwell wasburned and blackened.

Lonsdale fire 'a scene of devastation'

In North Vancouver's Lonsdale neighbourhood, Terri Bubas said she could see flames from theDuke of Connaught Lodge No. 64 from two blocks away.

"Lots of flames and the brickwork has collapsed and the top of the building," she said. "It's quite a scene of devastation, actually."

Bubas saw at least five fire trucks along with police cars and ambulances on scene.

The city block where the Lonsdale firestarted includes a fitness centre, a juice restaurant andoffice space.

'The whole sky was filled with smoke'

In North Vancouver'sLynn Valley area, Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Duncan said a neighbour reported thefire at the Lynn Valley Lodge, near Lynn Valley Roadand Harold Road.

"Upon arrival there was heavy flames on the entrance way and the exterior of the building," he said. Additional units werecalled to respond, Duncan said, and at least 26 firefighters were on the scene.

Hannah Sluis, a barista at Waves Coffee on Mountain Highway, says she saw flames engulfing the lodgeas she drove to work.

"As I got to work the whole sky was filled with smoke," she said."I just did my best to keep it out of the store."

Sluissaidshe saw at least eight firefighters on the scene and thatthe road had been blocked off.