Police probe arson after North York school bus fire; community members say possible antisemitism
Posted July 29, 2024 7:39 am.
Last Updated July 30, 2024 12:23 pm.
Toronto police say they are investigating after a school bus was found engulfed in flames in North York.
Firefighters were called to a parking lot behind a grocery store on Wilson Avenue near Bathurst Street just after 5 a.m. on Monday.
Officials say other vehicles were parked near the bus, including other school buses, when the flames were spotted.
Crews quickly put the fire out, preventing it from spreading to the other vehicles.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but police told CityNews they are investigating the fire as arson.
In a post on X, MP Marco Mendicino claims this was an act of antisemitism in a Jewish neighbourhood.
Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, who represents York Centre, said his office continues to be in touch with fire officials for updates on the “concerning incident of an empty Jewish school bus being set on fire in a parking lot at Bathurst and Wilson.”
“The Hate Crime Unit is aware of this incident. The investigation remains ongoing, and it is being investigated as an arson by the investigators at the division,” a Toronto police spokesperson told CityNews.
Authorities said the bus had been parked in the same location for around 10 to 15 years.
No injuries were reported.
Crews douse separate fire at Jewish school
In a separate incident, Toronto Fire confirms a small fire was extinguished at a Jewish school early Tuesday morning.
Crews were called to The Leo Baeck Day School at 501 Arlington Ave. in York at around 3:30 a.m. and found material burning in a toy storage shed behind the school.
Police tell 680 News Radio Toronto a person was using the shed for shelter.
Toronto Fire says smoke entered the school and the building had to be ventilated.
Police also say the cause of the fire is “undetermined, with no suspicious circumstances noted at the scene.”
“The Hate Crime Unit has been consulted but there is no evidence that this incident was motivated by hate.”
No injuries were reported.
