A man has been arrested in connection with a fire that started at a grocery store in a Vancouver neighbourhood that has been in the news a lot over the last year.
Last night, the Vancouver Police Department shared that around 5:30 p.m., a man walked into the Nesters Market at 333 Abbott St. in Gastown and lit a fire.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services responded and put the flames out.
“Fortunately, no one was injured. The fire, smoke, and water caused extensive damage to the store,” VPD said.
The man behind the blaze is still in police custody, and investigators are recommending charges of arson to Crown Counsel. VPD is not sharing the name of the man pending charge approval.
#VPDNews: The Vancouver Police Department has one man in custody after an arson closed a Downtown Eastside grocery store.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., a man walked into Nesters at 333 Abbott Street and lit a fire. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services attended and put out the… pic.twitter.com/FVqNIZmrvm
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) March 31, 2026
Someone shared pictures of the fire on Reddit, and the smoke and haze were visible through the windows from the exterior.
The Nesters Market that was impacted is located at the Woodward’s development, which has been the topic of discussion concerning Vancouver crime a lot over the past few months.
In January, we learned that the London Drugs at the Woodward’s development was permanently closing due to “persistent safety incidents.”
According to Clint Mahlman, president and chief operating officer at London Drugs, closing the Woodward’s location was a “very difficult decision.”
That block is also where the new Vancouver Police training academy is going to be located.
“That building is gonna just be VPD…. Woodward was such an aspirational idea and such a failure,” someone said in the Reddit thread.