Suspects sought in St. Andrews vehicle arson

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This article was published 08/05/2023 (1112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A St. Andrews family was forced to move a burning car away from their home after it was set on fire in what RCMP believe was a random arson early Monday.

Video surveillance (and an image released by police Monday) show two people in a truck approached the home on Liss Road in the rural municipality just north of Winnipeg at around 3 a.m.

The pair parked in the home’s driveway before pouring what appears to be liquid accelerant on two parked vehicles, and starting a fire. Both suspects then fled.

At around 4:00 a.m., the residents in the home (two adults and three children) were awakened by passersby who knocked on the front door and bedroom window to alert them to the vehicle fire.

The homeowner and a neighbour dragged the one vehicle engulfed in flames away from the home to prevent the fire from potentially spreading, and fire crews put it out when they arrived.

RCMP are investigating the situation as a random attack at this time, Cpl. Julie Courchaine said.

“At this point, no, it doesn’t appear targeted. It’s still early on in the investigation but there’s nothing yet that has indicated (that),” she said. “So kind of, obviously, a scary situation.”

While property crime has been steadily increasing across the province, it’s rare to see a random crime of this nature in many of the rural communities the RCMP works in, Courchaine said.

“I think it’s a little bit different in a lot of our communities where, a majority of the time, it is an instance where people are known to each other,” she said.

“This incident is unique, really, to have this where someone stops… and then to light a fire. I think we have a lot of questions — as does the family.”

The RCMP are asking anyone with information to call Selkirk RCMP at 204-482-1222, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.