Total idiots. Knowing how hard it is to get a roll of tissue or paper towels to catch on fire the creeps had to use some sort of accelerant. None of the merchandise because of safety reasons when the sprinklers went off will be able to be sold.

They said that a lot of the merchandise is ruined because of the water and smoke. $12M in damages.

What a stupid stunt to pull. And I don't throw the word stupid around, this really does call for it. Criminy.

What goes through a person’s mind to do something like that? Do they think it’s funny? Getting even with an employer? I wonder what they were thinking or what motivated them.

I do hope the idiots were caught and get prosecuted to fullest extent of the law. $12M. isn't a misdemeanor!

Wow. I hope they catch who did it and hope they go to prison for a long time.

idiots.

It's a real mess for the store. We had a fire in ours last fall--a kid being a PITB. The clean up is super expensive. What is wrong with people!!

Just awful!

How incredibly dangerous - for staff and shoppers. Fire can have a mind of its own. I don't begin to understand that kind of thinking. I hope security cams have identified whoever did that. The same face entering three stores should be a clue.

Three stores, three different times...sounds like the same arsonist for all three. Hope the security cameras can help identify the person or persons.

What?! Oh my gosh.

How strange. A BC Walmart toilet paper aisle was set on fire 3 weeks ago, and the perpetrator stole electronics in the confusion. That fellow was caught, but what a coincidence https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/man-arrested-after-fire-causes-millions-of-dollars-in-damage-to-campbell-river-walmart-1.5139911

I find it interesting that the flames got to be that high without sprinklers dousing the flames.

Copy cat crimes? Some people, I don't understand, and don't really want to.

That is bizarre. I would think there are cameras from the parking lot and all thru the store. What a mess that must have been. .

Incredible. I wonder who took that picture...

The 3 stores weren't to far from each other, probably the same people involved in all of them.

Arson is a terrible crime not only because of the possibility of great economic damage, but also the potential for spreading and causing death or injury.

Who ever did it, should have to pay restitution. If they are kids, then by years and years and years of community service because in the end, it’s the consumer who ends up paying for it in the long run.

How stupid. I hope the people who did this are caught.

This act goes way beyond destroying toilet paper. Lives could have been lost; thankfully none were.

Walmart Canada got rid of their ad-matching, must have been some pretty angry customer over that move.

Such a terrible thing to do. There's no understanding this behavior.

I never go near a Walmart. Too many dangerous and weird things happen at them.

At that level of fire, the sprinklers should have released. However, sprinklers are not electronic devices. Those are mechanical and have a toggle link that is held closed by a low melt temperature alloy link. That link has to heat up and break free to open the sprinkler. Either there were no sprinklers over that location, or it was not working, or maybe the fire spread fast and the melt link had not arrived at melt temperature.

maybe the fire spread fast and the melt link had not arrived at melt temperature.

That's what I think. The fire looks like the initial whoosh from the use of an accelerant.

Is there no footage of these criminals? They could

have killed people not to mention all the millions of dollars to clean up.

I was at a large WM at the edge of town today and had a nice talk with the optician there. They were expecting it to get hit as well that night, as it was on the same path as the 3 that were damaged.

Inside 2 of the 3 stores are complete write-offs, it'll be months before they're opened. They're part of large outdoor strip malls. The 3rd near me, is a smaller one, in an indoor mall.

Everyone is on high alert. Apparently there were tweets sent out saying that they're getting back at big stores who won't let people shop without a mask. The cops alluded to that, that they're anti-maskers.

Similar walmarts had recent fires in western provinces as well.

When I see posts here about not daring to set foot in WM's it makes me wonder what the U.S. ones are like. Ours Superstores are spotless, big, airy, bright, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of, to shop in. That's where I buy my glasses.

Many of the U.S. ones are clean and well organized as well. Before Covid, I stopped at my local Walmart all the time.

I never go near a Walmart. Too many dangerous and weird things happen at them.

I think that considering how many Walmart stores there are, if one checked their statistics I do not think they would have overall any excessive safety issues. I always felt safe at my local Walmart.

For weird and dangerous, try the variously named 'Dollar' stores.

The is no Walmart near me -- Dollar store either. I have had to make a trip to Walmart a couple of times to find very simple things like a lemon reamer and a knife honer. (Is that a word...the hand held rod you stroke with a knife to even the blade?) I think of Walmart as today's Woolworths (absent the Evening in Paris/cheap chocolate scent).

at least it was only TP. there has been a problem with arson in the neighborhood near me. people have been burning unfinished new condos and abandoned old buildings, also a well-loved produce store. this happened at least ten times according to this article, maybe more by now (IDK, I dropped facebook to put my head in the sand). nobody seems to be able to catch these jerks. it's insane.

Our local store that had their toilet paper set on fire resulted in 3 million dollars worth of damage. I imagine all the stock was either smoke damaged or water damaged. A huge loss

I hope they catch the arsonist and jail him/her for a very, very long time.

Chisue, that is a knife steeler ;-) Technically called a knife steel.

There was a tweet sent out, aired on the news that this was set to show stores they can't force people to wear masks. An anti-masker set these, and possibly the other fires out west.

Domestic terrorism, that's even worse than stupid kids being dumb. I hope they are apprehended soon.

Thanks, Zalco. I can't imagine how I misplaced the one I'd had *forever*, but Walmart the only place I could find one that wasn't part of a set of cheap knives in a 'block'.

horrible. they definitely don't seem to understand who they're hurting, considering these stores are the go-to for low income people. what do they think they're accomplishing? what a waste.

this was set to show stores they can't force people to wear masks. An anti-masker set these

There doesn't seem to be much of a connection between illegal, immoral acts of arson and the concept of stores helping their community by enforcing rules made to save peoples lives. I guess that bunch of anti maskers has very limited intelligence.

A picture was released yesterday of 2 men, and the car. Hopefully they'll be caught in record time. Funny, they are wearing masks!

I saw a video of a bunch BLM supporters marching through a Trader Joe's yelling 'black lives matter" and one beating a homemade drum. They didn't do any damage, just annoying the customers as far as I know.

I don't understand what starting a fire in a store has to do with not wearing a mask. These people always have some excuse for their behavior that doesn't make any sense.

woodrose those antimaskers consider wearing a mask against the Constitution and wally world is a convenient target. If not wally world they would have set fire to something but now they are bigshots among their group of pro-Constitution anti government friends.

Update: the arsonists were caught; a 21 and 17 yr old. I think a great deterrent would be to put them to work cleaning up the stores. I doubt they'll get much in the justice system otherwise.

Jasdip -- Thanks for notifying us. Too bad they're 'too young' to suffer much, but we can't deny that they are certainly *immature*!

Glad to hear they were caught. I think a good deterrent would be to cool their heels in the county jail for a year or so.

Good. I do not know Canadian rules but I wish that they would have to make restitution for the damage. In the US a judge can order that but like child support there are ways to hide income so very few people pay a large judgement.

Hmmmm. At 21 I was married with a mortgage. Old enough to know arson wasn't acceptable.....

3 fires, pulled false fire alarms at two other locations, caused $12 million in damage & the adult perp is already out on bail. So he can go start some more fires?

Unfortunate. Glad no one was injured. Probably not political at all; just some young a foolish youth without much going for them and without the awareness to grasp how quickly they would be apprehended and set them back even further. Poverty of imagination and structure. What a sad waste.