Tuesday’s downtown blaze, that destroyed a landmark Orillia building, has now become a criminal investigation, OPP officials say.
Orillia OPP Const. Sophie Gwin said police have video of what sparked the incident — submitted by the public — and believe the major structure fire near Peter and Mississaga streets was caused by a small fire someone lit in the area.
“It is believed at this time that there was a small fire lit nearby by a person, which then spread quickly to cause the damage,” Gwin told OrilliaMatters. “With assistance from community members submitting video of the incident, (it) is now being taken over by the Orillia Major Crime Unit, with assistance from our forensic identification service.”
No charges have been laid as of yet, and police are still searching for the suspect. Gwin asked any members of the public with information on the fire to reach out to the OPP’s non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122.
“We're looking for any other member of the public who may have been downtown between the hours of 6 and 7 (a.m.) yesterday morning, who may have seen anything suspicious to give us a call,” she said.
“If any other local businesses or any residents … may have video footage to come forward to our non-emergency line so we can connect with them and obtain any evidence.”
OPP and fire personnel have been on the scene for more than 28 hours as of 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, with portions of Peter and Mississaga streets still blocked off as fire, police, and city crews investigate and work in the area.
Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry said firefighters are still waiting to access the interior portions of the building to fully extinguish the fire.
“Because of the roof collapse and then the floor collapse, there's pockets of fire still in the middle of the building that our hose streams can't reach from above, so we have to wait for the building to be made safe,” he said.
“Once the building is made safe, then we'll be able to gain entry and extinguish the rest of the fires.”
The fire directly impacted several downtown businesses and nearby residents, and the fire department declared the building a "total loss" Tuesday afternoon.
As fire crews from Orillia and surrounding townships fought the blaze, businesses and community members stepped up to help, opening storefronts for first responders and those affected.
“I want to (say) thanks to the community members and … the local restaurants and people, they brought food and hot drinks for everybody,” Ferry said.
“We had Orillia Transit busses here to keep the firefighters warm and the police officers and the paramedics, and I really want to thank the community for bringing that in.”
