by Vikki Hopes and Laura Rodgers, Abbotsford News
Abbotsford Police are investigating three incidents of mischief that occurred Tuesday at homes on Latimer Street in east Abbotsford.
The most serious of the incidents was a fire that appeared to be deliberately set in an air conditioner. Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service was called to the scene at about 2:30 p.m., and the blaze was extinguished before it could spread to the home.
Deborah Green, a neighbour, said she heard "an explosion" while she was in her home just before 2:30 p.m. She went outside and saw two teenage boys "desperately" trying to put out a flaming air conditioner in the back yard next door.
Black smoke billowed from the unit, she said, and the two boys told her they were at the house to visit a friend. When Green questioned the story, they fled.
Nobody was inside the home at the time.
Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker said investigators soon discovered that two other homes on the street had been vandalized, although he could not give the specifics. He said those incidents did not involve fire.
The investigation is continuing. Anyone one with information is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973).