SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A small fire at the former Holland College campus on Granville Street in Summerside early last week, may have been caused by someone living in the building.
Summerside Police Services say personal belongings were found inside the building on Aug. 26, when firefighters were called to a report of smoke coming from the property.
That and other evidence led them to believe someone had been squatting there.
“Both sides, the fire and the trespassing, are being investigated,” said Sgt. Jason Blacquiere.
The fire was small and was quickly extinguished by firefighters.
No one was injured and there was no serious damage to the property.
Once the Summerside home of Holland College, the building takes up a relatively large chunk of real estate in the city’s busiest retail area.
It has been empty for more than 10 years.
Vandalism and graffiti became a problem at the property in the past so the owner, APM, installed a perimeter fence around the building to keep people out.
Blacquiere said that since the fence was installed incidents at the building have dropped dramatically and it is now relatively rare for police to be called there, though they still respond to the occasional complaint of trespassers.
