A car was deliberately set on fire in a driveway in Montreal’s West Island early Thursday morning, and Radio-Canada is reporting that the home belongs to Émile Benamor, the landlord who owns two buildings in Old Montreal that were the site of two fatal fires.
According to Montreal police, officers responded to a call Thursday morning about a car being on fire in front of a home on Whitehead Terrasse near the corner of Lake Shore Drive in Dorval, Que. Police say a gas can was found next to the burning vehicle.
Radio-Canada says the property where the fire took place belongs to Benamor.
Police say there were no injuries and no damage to the home or nearby properties, but the car is a total loss. They also say they believe a suspect used an accelerant to set the fire and fled the scene on foot before officers got there.
Thursday’s car fire in Dorval, Que., is the second criminal incident in a little over a week involving Benamor, who is also a lawyer. Last Tuesday, multiple bullets were fired at his office, which is also located in Old Montreal.
There have been two major fatal fires in Old Montreal buildings owned by Benamor in the last 19 months. The most recent one occurred earlier this month on Oct. 4 and killed a 43-year-old mother and her seven-year-old daughter. The previous one occurred on March 16, 2023, killing seven people.
Two men were arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal fire in Old Montreal earlier this month. As for last year’s fatal fire, the case is in the hands of the Crown prosecutor’s office, who will to decide if charges are laid.
The two incidents will be examined as part of one or two coroner’s inquiries.