Suspicious vehicle fire in Quebec City causes ‘significant’ damage

An SPVQ insignia. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Jacques Boissinot)

Quebec City police (SPVQ) is investigating a suspicious vehicle fire that caused “significant” damage to an apartment building.

Emergency services were called at 4:40 a.m. Wednesday to Saint-Claude Boulevard in the Des Châtels neighbourhood, where a vehicle parked in the courtyard of an apartment building was on fire.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 40 minutes, but the flames had already spread to the residential building, which sustained “significant damage,” according to the SPVQ.

There were no reported injuries, though the Red Cross was called in to assist three residents.

Preliminary investigations have led the SPVQ to determine that the fire may have been criminal in nature.

Searches are underway to locate potential suspects, and the fire commissioner’s office, the K9 unit and the forensic unit are on site to canvass the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 10, 2026.