Toronto Police believe a fire at an Islamic centre near Weston Rd and Black Creek Dr was intentionally set.
Fire sparked at The Reign of Islamic Da’wah at about 11 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters were able to snuff out the flames quickly. No one was hurt.
Toronto Police const. Victor Kwong tells NEWSTALK 1010 a gas canister at the scene suggests to investigators the fire is a case of arson and it is being treated as such.
But for now the fire is not being investigated as a hate crime.
Kwong says police need to gather more evidence to determine whether the address was targeted because it is an Islamic centre or if the culprit would have set fire to anything closeby.
There is no link between the Islamic centre fire and another case of arson Tuesday at the Weston Masonic Temple, roughly 4 km away. A man was arrested after a Molotov cocktail was reportedly thrown through a temple window.
Police are open-minded about the possibility of links to unsolved cases of arson in the area but there is no immediate indication the fires were set by the same person.