Police call 3-alarm fire at Snowdon Theatre 'suspicious'

Police are calling the three-alarm fire at Snowdon Theatre "suspicious."

The building had been empty for years and the city was looking for a buyer.

• Snowdon Theatre heavily damaged by afternoon fire

Now the roof is heavily damaged which Marvin Rotrand, the city councillor for Snowdon, thinks might complicate hopes of a sale.

"I don't know what the fire means in terms of the city's timeline," Rotrand said. "Clearly it's going to have an impact."

The flames started on the second floor of the building and about 90 firefighters worked to put it out. Their efforts to extinguish the outside of the building left the roof heavily water damaged.

There was nothing inside that was supposed to catch on fire like that.- Police spokesperson Manuel Couture

Police are suspicious about how the fire started.

"We don't know exactly right now what caused the fire," said police spokesperson Manuel Couture.

"But we know one thing for sure and that is there was nothing inside that was supposed to catch on fire like that."

Don Gordon said he used to go to the theatre when he was young. He said he will miss the landmark.

"Every time something like this goes, it's like part of our youth is gone," Gordon said.