Donations needed for 15 families left homeless by suspected arson

Fifteen families are homeless after a suspected arson spree in Owen Sound, Ont., on Monday. A teenage suspect was taken into custody, police said Tuesday.

The crimes have thrown the city into disarray: streets are closed, gas lines are shut off and public buses are being rerouted while crews clean up and officials investigate.

A total of 23 people were forced from their homes, according to the United Way of Bruce Grey.

Executive director Francesca Dobbyn said temporary shelter has been found for them in motels or with friends or family members while her agency and others work to secure more long-term housing.

Six families lost everything, and they don’t have insurance, Dobbyn said.

While the province’s 211 help line service is keeping a running inventory of items needed and items donated, cash is the best way to help meet immediate needs, Dobbyn said.

“Money is really what is needed in a disaster like this,” Dobbyn says. “It’s easy to store and it’s there when you need it. We do not want stuff — we’re not ready for it.”

Donations can be made here.

Everyone is accounted for, Dobbyn said, but the full scope of the calamity is not yet known.

“This city hasn’t encountered anything like this before” Mayor Ian Boddy told Yahoo Canada News on Tuesday. Boddy said crews were working on gas lines and power lines while the fire marshal’s office continues to go through homes and buildings checking for structural damage. He said it was not known how long the work will take.

Boddy, who took office in November, has lived in Owen Sound for 57 years, and said, “This community is used to going through challenges and getting through it — and getting through it well.”

Tiffany Mahy, who lives in the area, said her home was not affected but she’s acquainted with some of her less fortunate neighbours

“A couple of them can’t find their missing pets,” she told Yahoo Canada News. “It’s been pretty devastating. I mean, how can you be OK when your house just burnt down?”

Police say a 17-year-old started a series of house fires early Monday morning that destroyed a 10-unit townhouse and damaged several other homes and garden sheds.

The spree began around 2:45 a.m., when crews were called to an apartment building in the city’s downtown. A resident had already put out two small fires set in different locations of the common areas of the building, police said, and damage was minimal.

About an hour later, police were called to a house on fire, where neighbours alerted them to another nearby blaze at a townhouse complex. A car was also set on fire but was put out quickly.

Two more 911 calls came in around 4 a.m., and one more call came in later in the morning.

No one was seriously injured, but 10 residents were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. All have since been released.

The boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, has been charged with 16 counts of arson endangering life and five counts of arson. Police say more arrests are imminent.

Insp. Vince Wurfel said early Tuesday afternoon there was no truth to a rumour that a second person had been taken into custody and would say only that police were looking at “more than one suspect.”