Vancouver police said the incident happened Monday at about 1:30 p.m. A woman in her 50s was sitting near Dunlevy and Powell streets when an unknown person allegedly “poured a flammable substance on her head and set her on fire.” He ran to a nearby business to get help and was taken to hospital with serious burns. “This was a shocking attack targeting a vulnerable member of our community,” said Const. Tanya Visindin. “We need witnesses and anyone with information to call the police and help solve this crime.” Police described the suspect in that incident as a white man in his 30s. He fled the scene before investigators arrived. A second incident is also under investigation, police said. That same day, a man called police to report that his shelter had caught fire while he was sleeping near Columbia Street and West 5th Avenue. He told police he put out the fire himself and escaped without injury. Police confirmed with CTV News Vancouver that both victims are homeless. “Investigators do not believe the two incidents are connected,” Visintin said. “However, it is still very early in the investigation, so we are not ruling anything out.” Police said they do not believe the incidents are connected because the descriptions of the suspects are different. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 604-717-2541. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Regan Hasegawa
