‘Explosion after explosion’: Guelph, Ont. father speaks out after arson attack on family vehicle

CTV’s Alexandra Holyk speaks to a family on edge following an arson just steps away from their front door.

A father in Guelph, Ont., says he fears for his family’s safety after their vehicle was set on fire Sunday morning.

Police said officers were called to a home on Montana Road near Woodlawn Road East around 1:40 a.m. A red Mazda SUV was engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived.

“The vehicle was destroyed by the fire and there was also some minor heat damage to the residence itself, but luckily, no injuries reported,” said Scott Tracey with the Guelph Police Service.

Jonas Buhendwa said he was asleep inside the home when he heard his neighbour banging on the window.

“I looked outside, I see the car completely [burst] into flames,” he said.

Buhendwa said he evacuated his family, which included his two-year-old son, and called 911.

“The car kept burning,” Buhendwa recalled. “Explosion after explosion. It was really scary.”

Buhendwa said he immigrated from Congo 17 years ago for a better life in Canada and a safe home in Guelph.

“When you come here, you have a sense of security,” said Buhendwa. “And we are really losing that.”

According to police, the fire is suspicious and is being treated as an arson. It’s not clear if the incident was random or targeted.

“There’s video surveillance of the area that depicted a person approaching the vehicle shortly before flames were seen,” Tracey said.

“That person is a very serious danger for us and for the community,” said Buhendwa.

The suspect is described as having a medium build and was wearing a puffy jacket with the hood up, a baseball cap, and possibly a face mask at the time of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Neighbours offer support

Victoria Holt lives next to Buhendwa’s family in their semi-detached property. She said her mother-in-law saw the flames, prompting her to call police.

“We got our household out, I looked over, noticed that the car was in the driveway, started banging on the window to make sure that they were aware that they needed to get out because their car was engulfed,” Holt said.

“Nothing was on my mind,” she continued. “It was just the instant reaction of ‘there’s someone in the house and they need to get out, they need to be safe.’”

Holt said she and other neighbours opened their doors to Buhendwa’s family for support.

“It is nerve-wracking to know that that can happen in such a quiet area,” she said.

Buhendwa thanked his community and police for their support, but said he won’t feel safe until an arrest is made.

“I can only hope that the person who did this will be arrested and face justice,” he said.

“Nobody wants to be in our situation,” Buhendwa continued. “And I would never wish that to my worst enemy.”

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