A 30-year-old woman was arrested and charged with five counts of arson after setting four fires near residential properties on Bathurst Street Sunday morning, police say.
At 6:45 a.m., police responded to multiple fire calls on Bathurst Street and McAllister Road, south of Sheppard Avenue West.
According to a Toronto Police news release, a woman set a fire near a low rise residential building. Then, she allegedly set fire to the front vestibule area of two separate highrise residential buildings, along with a dumpster at a residential highrise and a scrapyard behind a house.
According to Toronto fire, there was a report of light smoke in the area of 4300 Bathurst St., but no fire was located.
Firefighters also attended a shed fire at that same location, which is between Reiner and McAllister roads.
Toronto fire said a third small fire was also “quickly extinguished” in a lobby vestibule at 4266 Bathurst St.
No one was injured in any of the fires, Toronto paramedics confirmed.
Thirty-year-old Valentyna Popova, of no fixed address, has been charged with five counts of arson endangering life, break and enter, and breach of probation, according to police.
She appeared in court at Old City Hall on Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
At this time, the southbound lanes of Bathurst Street remain blocked as police investigate.
Motorists and public transit users are being advised to consider alternate routes of travel at this time.
Anyone with further information, including video surveillance or dash cam footage, is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-2222, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.222tips.com.
