An SUV crashed into a Rideau Street building and burst into flames early Monday morning in one of two fires at Ottawa dispensaries. The Ottawa Police Service’s Arson and Explosion Unit is investigating the two fires at Shroomyz locations near the ByWard Market and in Little Italy. Police say both blazes are considered suspicious. The Ottawa Fire Services says it received a 911 call at 4:45 a.m., reporting a vehicle had crashed into a business on Rideau Street, near Dalhousie Street, and flames were spreading from the vehicle to the building that houses the dispensary. Witnesses told CTV Morning Live a vehicle drove up onto the sidewalk and crashed into the building, then caught fire. The fire spread from the vehicle to the two-storey building. A video sent to CTV News Ottawa showed a vehicle engulfed in flames on the sidewalk in front of the business. “Firefighters arrived on scene just three minutes after being dispatched and confirmed that the vehicle and the front of the two-storey business were fully engulfed in flames,” Nick DeFazio, Ottawa Fire Services Public Information Officer, said. “Firefighters initiated a fast attack and breached the entrance to advance a hose line inside. A secondary crew began searching for any occupants while other firefighters worked to expose the fire that had spread into the ceiling between the ground and second floors.” Photos posted on social media by the Ottawa Fire Services showed a burnt-out vehicle on the sidewalk and fire damage to the building. The fire was declared under control at 5:45 a.m. The Ottawa Police Service closed Rideau Street, but the road was reopened to traffic just before 9 a.m. Two police cruisers remained parked outside the building and the burnt-out vehicle remained parked on the street at 10 a.m. A firefighter was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Preston Street fire Firefighters also responded to a fire at a Shroomyz on Preston Street in Little Italy. DeFazio said 911 received a call at 5:01 a.m., reporting smoke coming from the roof of a single storey building in the 300 block of Preston Street, between Aberdeen Street and Beech Street. “Upon arrival, smoke was visible coming from all four eaves of the building. Crews confirmed there was no fire inside, but flames were visible on the exterior back porch, extending into the soffits and roofline,” DeFazio said in an email. “Firefighters advanced a hose line to the rear of the structure while another crew searched the interior for occupants. Firefighters opened up sections of walls and roof to access and extinguish the fire, and thermal imaging cameras were used to check for hot spots.” The cause of the fire is under investigation. Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the fires or has information that could assist with the investigation to contact the Ottawa Police Service’s Arson and Explosion Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 4587. “They will do a physical examination of the scene in order to collect evidence to try and determine the origin and cause of the fire and then gather evidence on who set the fires and who is responsible for the arsons,” said Acting Insp. Cameron Graham. In March, the Ottawa Police Service was investigating “multiple suspicious fires” at drug dispensaries on Rideau Street and Little Italy. Dispensaries in Ottawa The dispensaries sell mushrooms that contain psilocybin and psilocin, also known as magic mushrooms or shrooms. They have been illegal in Canada since 1975, but several dispensaries have been operating illegally in Ottawa, some with little resistance. “It’s kind of like marijuana was several years ago. As it was being legalized, there wasn’t a whole pile of enforcement happening around small sales of marijuana because, frankly, the police had bigger fish to fry,” said Chris Lewis, former OPP commissioner and CTV News public safety analyst. “There is talk in the Liberal government about legalizing them, and in the meantime, the police are dealing with things like fentanyl and other drugs that are much harsher. They’re killing people, with no medicinal value whatsoever and severe penalties. So, they’ve only got so many people, and they can only do so much enforcement.” Two years ago, Ottawa Police shut down a magic mushroom dispensary in Centretown. Police have shut down similar dispensaries in other Ontario cities such as Sudbury, Cambridge, and Brantford, but several others in Ottawa continue to operate. “I think that law enforcement will likely respond to complaints about them selling to kids, or any complaints whatsoever. They’re more apt to take some action, but they’re probably not getting a lot of that,” said Lewis. “They’re responding to calls for service, they’re trying to prevent crimes and investigate crimes and drug squads are only capable of doing so much. With fentanyl and other drugs on the market, that’s where they’re spending their time.” With files from CTV News Ottawa Austin Lee
