Man arrested, released after early morning Surrey strip mall fire
Posted March 24, 2025 7:43 am.
Last Updated March 24, 2025 9:50 pm.
The Surrey Police Service says a man was arrested and released following an early morning fire on Monday.
According to police, shortly after 2:30 a.m., officers were patrolling the City Centre neighbourhood when they “noticed smoke and a burning smell coming from a small strip mall” near 108 Avenue and City Parkway.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!“As officers stopped to investigate the source of the smoke, they located a man leaving a business and arrested him,” Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said in a statement.
According to police, no injuries have been reported, and the Surrey Fire Service and SPS investigators are determining the damage to any buildings, along with the cause of the fire.
“The suspect remains in custody as the investigation continues,” Houghton added, Monday morning.
He said investigators needed to learn the origin of the fire and the “mode of ignition” to determine if it was deliberately set.
In an update Monday afternoon, SPS announced that the fire had been deemed “not suspicious” and the suspect had been released.
Surrey Deputy Fire Chief Rich Bodnark tells 1130 NewsRadio that crews did second alarm protocols, “sending additional fire trucks and personnel.”
“We did an aerial operation suppressing and extinguishing the fire,” he explained, adding nine firetrucks and 27 firefighters attended the scene.
“There’s a number of units there that are going to be impacted today, sadly,” Bodnark said.
The strip mall sustained “significant” damage, the fire chief said. The businesses impacted include a vape shop, a liquor store, and a food market.
“We believe the fire started in the rear of the building,” Bodnark said.
Anyone who has information about the incident is being urged to contact police at 604-599-0502.
With files from Sonia Aslam.
