Langley Township firefighters doused a blaze at a vacant home in Willoughby early Sunday afternoon.
The old home in the 7300 block of 208th Street, vacant for some time, was fully involved when firefighters arrived.
Neighbours who live across the street said the fire was burning fiercely by the time the fire trucks had arrived.
“From our kitchen all we could see was orange,” one of the neighbours said. “The whole house was in flames.”
They believed that no one had lived in the house for a couple of years.
No one was inside the building at the time and no one was injured, said assistant fire chief Bruce Ferguson.
“There’s no services to it, no gas, no electricity, no nothing, so it’s obviously an arson,” Ferguson said.
The Township is now sending letters to the owner of the property letting them know they are responsible for securing the property and boarding up what remains of the building.
If the owners do not take action, the Township will secure the site, and could even demolish the building, and then bill the owners.
Willoughby has seen several fires at abandoned homes over the last few years. Vacant homes on lots awaiting development have been easy targets for arson.