Kosher Bakery in Montreal Heavily Damaged in Suspected Arson Attack Following Earlier Incident

A kosher bakery in Montreal, Canada, sustained extensive damage early Wednesday morning after a fire tore through the building in what police believe was a deliberate arson attack, raising concerns that the establishment may have been targeted because of its Jewish identity.

Montreal police have launched an investigation into the incident, with the department’s hate crimes unit joining arson investigators to determine whether antisemitism played a role in the attack.

The fire broke out at approximately 12:30 a.m. Wednesday at a bakery located on Saint-Louis Street in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough. Emergency services received reports of flames engulfing the establishment, prompting a large response from police and firefighters.

By the time officers arrived, the building was already burning intensely. Approximately 60 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, battling the flames for nearly two hours before bringing the blaze under control.

The bakery suffered substantial damage, although the full extent of the destruction has not yet been determined.

According to Montreal police, evidence collected at the scene strongly suggests that the fire was intentionally set rather than caused by an accident.

Investigators are also examining a troubling connection to an earlier incident at the same location.

Police revealed that the bakery had been targeted Monday night at approximately 11:30 p.m., less than two days before Wednesday’s fire. That earlier incident reportedly caused no significant damage, but authorities are now investigating whether the two attacks were connected.

The fact that the same establishment was targeted on consecutive nights has heightened suspicions that the bakery was deliberately singled out.

Because the business is a kosher establishment, investigators are examining whether the suspected arson was motivated by antisemitism. However, police have not yet established a motive, and the incident has not been formally confirmed as a hate crime.

Montreal police have assigned both their arson division and hate crimes unit to the investigation. Detectives are working to identify those responsible and determine the circumstances surrounding both incidents.

As of Wednesday evening, no arrests had been announced, and authorities had not publicly identified any suspects.

The attack has raised fresh concerns about the security of Jewish businesses in Montreal, where the possibility of an antisemitic motive is being treated as a serious component of the investigation.

Police are continuing their investigation into the suspected arson and the earlier attack as they seek to establish who targeted the bakery and why.