One of two suspects in an arson in Richmond, British Columbia, set himself on fire and “despite efforts of both the suspects, [his] pants continued to burn,” according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP released footage of the incident, which they said occurred in the early hours of April 24.
“At approximately 4:30 am Richmond RCMP attended for an alarm at a business located in the 2600 block of Simpson Road,” police said. “Frontline officers located a broken window and small fire directly in front of it. Evidence was also located which indicated the fire had been intentionally set. “A subsequent review of video surveillance from the area determined that two unidentified men wearing masks had approached the business on foot prior to allegedly smashing the window and then lighting an object on fire.
During the “lighting of an object” one of the suspect’s pants caught fire and his mask came off. “Despite efforts of both the suspects, the pants continued to burn,” Richmond RCMP staff said in a release. Police describe the first suspect as a man between 40 and 50 years old, with a medium build and slicked-back long dirty blonde hair. “Based on the nature of the fire, there’s a high probability that this suspect sustained injuries to his lower body,” said Cpl. Adriana O’Malley.