Fire marshal, Sudbury police investigate suspicious barber shop fire

Another suspicious fire is under investigation in Sudbury. Fire crews responded around midnight and responded to the blaze in a strip mall on Lasalle Boulevard after receiving a call from a passerby.

The barbershop has an estimated $250,000 in damage. Officials said the fire was contained to one unit.

Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell said they have passed the investigation to the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and Greater Sudbury Police Service.

"In the course of doing our duties and fighting that fire we did gather information and have reason to believe the fire was suspicious,” Oshell said.

All other businesses in the complex are closed as water and electricity has been cut off for the time being. It's unclear if neighbouring businesses have any smoke or water damage.

The Qarqouz family owns Damascus Restaurant, located next to the barbershop, and the family members who work here say they know all too well how it feels to lose a business.

“This really reminds us of what happened to us back home to our restaurant,” said Mohammad Qarqouz.

"Our restaurant was bombed maybe more than that but this is really terrible and also what happened to us downtown so we really feel sorry for them.”

The family moved their restaurant to the location on Lasalle three months ago after experiencing vandalism at their downtown shop.

They hope the community will rally around business owners Trevor and Kelsey the same way they did for them.

“We hope the best for them and we want them to come back stronger than ever,” said Nabil Qarqouz.

Oshell said despite the fact there was also a suspicious fire on Lasalle last week, it doesn't appear they are connected.

“We are seeing a few more fires than normal at this time of year," he said.

"There is reason to believe that with the cold weather that we’re having for an extended period of time, certainly we are putting a lot of pressure on things like electric heaters and other types of heating appliances. If not used in accordance to manufacturer specifications, (they) can be a source of concern. We're also seeing an increase in cooking fires.”