It took a little less than an hour for the twenty or so firefighters present to control the fire, said Matthew Griffith, head of the fire prevention section at the Montreal Fire Department.
The trade is not considered a total loss, but the very significant damage is valued at $ 225,000.
When the building was secured, the first firefighters to set foot inside did not take long to notice something was wrong.
Traces of flammable liquid were discovered, confirmed the Police Department of the City of Montreal (SPVM), to which the file was quickly transferred.
The criminal fire department of the SPVM has spent the scene combing for many hours on Tuesday, to go back to the culprit.
Images of security cameras installed on the scene were also viewed and could help investigators find the suspect.
The company Avanti The Spa belongs to Micheline Gallo, the wife of Antonio "Tony" Papa.
The branch of Jean-Talon West is the third and last of the banner and was inaugurated just two months ago.
The 71-year-old, well known in the Montreal business community, was, by his own admission, a close friend of the late Montreal Mafia godfather, Vito Rizzuto.
He was also very close to Moreno Gallo, an influential mafioso murdered in 2013 in Acapulco, Mexico.
According to our information, everything indicates that the fire was lit to send a message to the septuagenarian.
And this message, we can not be clearer.
The suspect at the origin of the fire was careful to spray several corners of the living room flammable liquid, presumably for the purpose that it is a total loss.
According to our sources, the investigators suspect that Tony Papa is probably the person targeted by this criminal act.
But they will have to determine the precise reason.
Without explanation
Contacted Tuesday by Le Journal , the Papa family says they have received no threat that could explain such a gesture and has no idea who could be behind the crime.
As the fire was lit in the middle of the night, the living room was closed and no one was injured.
The investigation is continuing and the police have not made any arrests for the moment.
