Officials investigate string of suspicious overnight car fires in Delta

Four cars were destroyed and a family was forced out of their home overnight, after a string of suspicious car fires in Delta.

Crews responded to a car on fire in the carport of a house on 72 Avenue near 116 Street just after 4 a.m. PT.

Jason Hanson along with his wife and two children were able to escape the home before flames rose up the structure.

"[I] woke up with somebody knocking on our door," said Hanson who looked out the window and saw an orange glow coming from the carport.

"I ran downstairs to see what was going on. There was a huge fire, [my neighbour] was like, 'get out of the house right now.' I ran back up and got my family up."

'Scares the heck out of you'

Hemant Lal, lives right across the street from Hanson.

"I heard a big bang," he said. "I opened my blinds, I saw a big fire in my neighbour's house there."

Lal said he became scared when he saw the fire was burning right underneath the children's bedroom.

"It scares the heck out of you," he said. "I don't see what people get out of doing something like this."

Crews were able to get the fire under control quickly. Hanson says luckily the interior of the house was not damaged, so his family was able to return. His vehicle is destroyed however.

"We don't know what's happening with our car or what we're going to be able to do. Hopefully something soon. Hopefully something good before Christmas."

Four car fires within hours

Firefighters were also called to an earlier report of three cars on fire on Minster Road, just minutes away.

Those fires didn't reach the homes, but completely burned through three vehicles.

Delta Fire Battalion Chief Neil Schuster said the fires are suspicious and kept crews busy.

"You deal with what you have at the time," he said. "Obviously with resources ... we're able to move crews around to make sure that all areas are covered."

Schuster said the incidents are under investigation and while police say its too early to know if they're connected, investigators aren't ruling out arson.