The
Ottawa Police Service
‘s arson unit is investigating two “suspicious” fires that broke out at two different illegal magic mushroom shops early Monday morning.
According to a news release, the fires happened within 15 minutes of each other.
One of the fires happened at a magic mushroom shop at 156 Rideau St., next to Silverline Tattoo and Body Piercing. Police said a car crashed into the building at around 4:44 a.m. The building and the car then caught on fire.
In a Monday afternoon social media post,
Ottawa Fire Services said both the vehicle and the building were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Firefighters then entered the building and managed to control the flames by 5:45 a.m.
Nobody was inside the building at the time and crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining businesses, according to the post. However, one firefighter sustained minor injuries while controlling the fire but was released on scene shortly after.
An inspector was then dispatched to investigate the cause of the fire. The car was still at the scene at around noon Monday. Most of the car and the building exterior were burnt. Soot and ash covered the sidewalk in front of the building, and police had roped off part of the sidewalk as they conducted their investigation.
Fifteen minutes after the first fire, a second fire broke out at mushroom store located in the 400-block of Preston Street at around 5:02 a.m., police said.
Ottawa Fire Services said firefighters received a call about smoke coming from the roof of the single-storey commercial building. Firefighters at the scene reported that smoke was visible and the back porch was on fire with flames that spread to the roof.
Fire services said the fire was under control by 5:50 a.m. There were no reported injuries. An investigator was also dispatched to that scene.
The mushroom shop was still taped off on Monday afternoon, and there was no visible damage from the front of the store.
Both Rideau Street and Preston Street were closed for a period of time early Monday morning while crews battled and investigated the fires.
The Ottawa Police Service did not say whether the two fires were connected.
“The investigation is ongoing, so we are unable to provide further information at this time,” said Maeghan McGaraughty, a spokesperson for the OPS, in an emailed statement.
