Man arrested for arson of abandoned building downtown Montreal

Arson at an abandoned building on St-Marc Street in downtown Montreal, on Jan. 9, 2026 (Hayder Mahdy, CityNews)

Posted January 9, 2026 8:15 am.

Last Updated January 9, 2026 9:43 am.

Montreal police (SPVM) arrested a 38-year-old man in connection with arson of an abandoned building in Montreal downtown, Friday.

Police say they received a 911 call around 5 a.m. regarding a fire starting in a building on St-Marc Street, near Ste-Catherine Street. Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control.

A security perimeter was established after arson of an abandoned building on St-Marc Street in downtown Montreal on Jan. 9, 2026 (Hayder Mahdy, CityNews)

“When officers were on site, there was some information by different witnesses mentioning that there was a man seen getting out of the abandoned building,” SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said, leading the officers to believe that the fire was of criminal nature.

Firefighters responded to an arson of an abandoned building on St-Marc Street near Ste-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal on Jan. 9, 2026 (Hayder Mahdy, CityNews)

Police then arrested the suspect near the scene, Brabant said.

The building was empty and no injuries were reported.

A security perimeter has been established and traffic is closed on Ste-Catherine and St-Marc Streets as investigation continues.

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