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Mansion blaze was arson

A fire that heavily damaged a vacant Shaughnessy mansion in Vancouver was deliberately set, investigators say.

“It’s a set fire. That’s what happened here,” assistant fire chief Ray Bryant told CTV.

The weekend fire gutted the interior of the $14-million mansion, starting in the basement, he said.

The sprawling mansion was built in 1913 and was sold to a Chinese investor in 2012.

It was listed for rent at $12,000 a month last year and later put on the market at $13.75 million, but didn’t sell. It has been empty since then.

Heritage rules stipulate that if less than 60 per cent of the home is burned, it must be preserved. If more, it can be demolished.

“It’s a real shame. A real shame,” former neighbour John Beaddie told CTV. “These houses are one of a kind.”

– with files from CTV Vancouver



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