Encampment tent set ablaze in Hamilton

A suspected arsonist is wanted in Hamilton after a tent was set ablaze in a homeless encampment.

A man drove his black pick-up truck to a grassy area by Wellington Street North and Simcoe Street around 8 p.m. on June 19. The area is home to a sizable encampment by Jackie Washington Rotary Park as well as the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre.

The man got out of his car, police report, and poured a liquid from a yellow onto one of the tents. He then ignited the fluid, hopped back into his truck and sped off.

Hamilton Fire quickly reached the scene and extinguished the fire. However, the tent and everything inside were destroyed. No one was in the tent at the time. Investigators are trying to identify the owner.

Police described the suspect as a white man around 30 years old. He has short blonde hair and wore a T-shirt and black jogger pants. He was driving a black 1999-2006 GMC Sierra with chrome accents, an extended-length cab, window rain covers, black rims, a shattered rear window and a chrome rear bumper with significant damage to the driver’s side.

Anyone with information can call police at 905-540-5085 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).