Edmonton neighbourhood on edge over notes asking for payment after house fire
Cloverdale residents report notes asking for cryptocurrency after Sunday house fire
A destructive house fire is unsettling a central Edmonton neighbourhood, with some residents saying they received notes suggesting their home could face the same fate if they don't pay up.
Firefighters responded to a house fire in the Cloverdale neighbourhood just after 3 a.m. Sunday, in the area of 97th Avenue and 95th Street. Initial investigations deemed the cause to be arson, Edmonton police said in a news release Thursday.
The residents had already made it out of the home by the time firefighters arrived, according to an Edmonton Fire Rescue Services spokesperson. Adjacent homes were also evacuated, and the fire was declared out around 6 a.m.
People in two nearby homes told CBC they were shaken after finding notes, one in their mailbox and the other on their front steps, telling them to pay money to a cryptocurrency address. The notes point to a neighbour's loss.
The messages, which CBC News has seen, are written on index cards. The notes, which are mostly in block letters, appear to be handwritten.
CBC News spoke with residents at about two dozen houses on the block. None were willing to speak publicly, citing fears for their safety.
A note with similar handwriting and a demand for a cryptocurrency transfer was found at a home in the Holyrood neighbourhood after a vehicle was set on fire last month.
The fire, reported just after 5 a.m. on Sept. 23, was in the area of 95th Avenue and 77th Street, police said Thursday.
Police are asking residents in both neighbourhoods to come forward with door camera footage taken around the times of the arsons.
"At this time, it is unknown if these two incidents are directly related," Det. Sean Thorimbert said in a statement.
"We are hopeful that members of these impacted communities will be able to provide information that will assist with our efforts to identify anyone who might be responsible for these fires," he said.
"While our investigations remain ongoing, we encourage residents to stay vigilant and mindful of unusual activity in their neighbourhoods."
'It has left us all shaken'
The incident has unnerved local residents, according to Cloverdale Community League president Leigh Wilson.
"This is very unsettling and has created a lot of fear in our neighbourhood," she wrote in an email to local residents on Wednesday.
Wilson declined an on-camera interview, citing the police investigation.
"We are devastated by what has happened in our community and to our neighbours," she said in an email to CBC News. "It has left us all shaken.
"We have spoken to the detectives investigating the case and are respecting the space of their active investigation."
Dan Jones, justice studies chair at NorQuest College and a former Edmonton police officer, said the extortion that's been reported in this case is not common.
While there are few details released so far, he said what's taken place in Cloverdale appears "extremely brazen."
"These are just folks that are now being extorted at a neighbourhood level, which is not just brazen, that's … unheard of actually," he said.
He said cryptocurrency is hard to trace, which is why it might be used in criminal activity.
Jones said police are likely trying to determine if there's forensic evidence they can seize from the scene, working with fire investigators to determine the cause of the fire and looking into who might be behind the threatening notes.
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