A fire that caused $300,000 damage to a home on Hamilton Road is being treated as suspicious.
Firefighters were called to the single-storey house at 101 Hamilton Rd. near Horton Street around 6 p.m. on Sunday. When fire crews arrived they found thick black smoke and flames coming from the back of the home.
Heat from the fire was so intense a nearby building was also evacuated as a precaution.
No one was hurt in the blaze.
The fire has been deemed to be suspicious in nature, London police said on Monday.
Police, London fire prevention investigators, and the Ontario Fire Marshal's office continue to probe the cause.
This is the city's second suspicious fire in less than a week. Last Thursday, a suspicious blaze caused $500,000 to a single-storey home at 260 Trott Dr. No injuries were reported in that fire.
“The increase in reported suspicious fires recently is certainly a concern for us,” said Detective Sgt. Ryan Million. “We have a number of active investigations on the go, and while we don’t have any information to suggest that they are linked, we can report that a number of them involved vacant buildings or unoccupied residences at the time of the fire. We continue to remind members of the public to report all suspicious activity to police.”
Police ask anyone with information about the fires to call them at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).