Police suspect arson in fires at a Jewish camp near Ottawa
There is no evidence yet to show this was an antisemitic act, police said.
Police investigate a fire at Camp B’nai B’rith in Pontiac, Quebec, on Feb. 12, 2023. (Courtesy Collines-de-l’Outaouais)
By Ron Kampeas February 14, 2023
(JTA) — Police say arson may be behind two fires at a Jewish camp in a village near Ottawa.
Firefighters were battling a blaze before dawn on Sunday at one building at Camp B’nai B’rith in Pontiac, Quebec, when another building burst into flames, CTV News reported.
A police statement said the damage rant to about $450,000 in U.S. dollars. It said the fire “was of an arson nature.”
No one was at the camp when the blazes occurred, CTV quoted camp officials as saying.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that this was an antisemitic or racially motivated act,” said the statement from police in the municipal regional council of Collines-de-l’Outaouais. “However, it is still too early in the investigation to rule out this possibility.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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