OPP investigating suspicious fire in Odessa

The Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are currently investigating a structure fire in Odessa that has been deemed suspicious.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2021, officers from the L&A OPP responded to reports of a structure fire in a vacant building on Bridge Street. Loyalist Fire crews extinguished the fire quickly, and remained on scene monitoring for hot spots as police investigated.

According to eyewitnesses, four males were seen fleeing the building. Because of this, the fire has been deemed suspicious, the OPP said. It is possible that the number of people that fled the scene is higher or lower than eyewitness accounts.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the L&A OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips to Crime Stoppers online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.  

The fire was one of two that Loyalist firefighters dealt with this morning. Loyalist Fire also attended a house fire on County Road 6 beginning at approximately 10 a.m. That fire, which required multiple firefighters and backup from other jurisdictions, closed down County Road 6 from Wilson Street to Fred Brown Road for several hours. County Road 6 re-opened just before 3:30 p.m.

Kingstonist will update this article as more information becomes available.