A man was spotted by a passerby starting a fire in a wooded lot on Hammond Bay Rd. on Tuesday morning, before walking away from the scene. (submitted photos/Shawn Drew)

By Alex Rawnsley

deliberate act

‘He lit this fire intentionally:’ passerby intervenes after cardboard ignited in vacant north Nanaimo lot

Apr 29, 2025 | 4:33 PM

UPDATE — NanaimoNewsNOW has been informed the suspect contacted Nanaimo RCMP officers regarding this situation.

NANAIMO — Local RCMP have started a mischief investigation into a potentially deliberately set fire in the city’s north end.

Shawn Drew, his wife and their dog were out for a walk around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, along Hammond Bay Rd., near McGuffie Rd. when they started to smell smoke shortly before seeing a person in a wooded, vacant lot starting a fire.

Drew said a small pile of what appeared to be beer cases and other cardboard were ignited by the man.

“I waited for him to walk away, to make sure that this was somebody that literally set a fire that was in flames and left the scene. I wanted to make sure that this wasn’t some other excuse that he could come up with. One hundred per cent this person walked there, he lit this fire intentionally and then left it to burn.”

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Once the boxes began to catch fire, the man started to leave, but Drew approached him and recorded the encounter on his phone.

In the video, Drew is heard asking why the man was lighting a fire and walking away.

The man responds by saying, “…dude, don’t film me.”

“They proceeded to turn their back and completely walked away, going back up to the sidewalk and started leaving,” Drew told NanaimoNewsNOW. “That’s when I confronted him, and asked him what he’s doing, and started recording.”

As a result of the interaction, the man began picking up the boxes, wiping flames and charred debris from them before putting them in his backpack.

He then left the scene and was last seen walking northbound on Hammond Bay Rd. towards Costco.

Drew said the situation was “extremely concerning” with the fire in a treed area on a bare lot immediately between Piper’s Restaurant and nearby homes, including Drew’s.

“I consider public safety to be of utmost importance, and all I can do is just implore people to never be afraid to report this type of behaviour and record it and make sure you get these people on film, because these are the kind of people that do not belong in our community.”

The approximate location of the fire on Tuesday morning. (Google Maps)

Nanaimo RCMP confirmed they were called out to the scene, but were unable to locate the man.

Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien said they’re canvassing the area on Tuesday to try and identify the individual through the pictures and video Drew captured.

The man is described as a Caucasian, wearing a blue sweater, grey pants, white shoes and a blue hat. He was also carrying a black bag at the time.

O’Brien added based on current evidence, the fire would be considered mischief under the Criminal Code of Canada, as only cardboard was burnt.

However, O’Brien also said they will look into other files to see if any characteristics match.

Anyone with information on the identity of the man is asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.

While only a small area was burned, the situation could have been much different if not for immediate intervention from a passerby. (submitted photos/Shawn Drew)

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