Hamilton police investigating suspicious fire at Brampton Street industrial property

Hamilton police are investigating a suspicious fire at an industrial property on Brampton Street overnight.

Hamilton fire responded to a call about smoke at 1700 Brampton St., just west of Parkdale Avenue North, shortly after 2:45 a.m. on Thursday, said Trevor Haalstra, assistant deputy fire chief.

Crews found a large volume of smoke and the call was upgraded to a structure fire. Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control and it was extinguished.

The Office of the Fire Marshal and police were notified because it was deemed suspicious, Haalstra said.

The property is listed for sale for $8.49 million.

Const. Krista-Lee Ernst confirmed the arson unit is investigating.

Police notified the public on Twitter Thursday morning that they are flying a drone in the area to capture evidence from the large scene.

The drone is capable of documenting scenes and taking measurements, which can later be used in court.

Using the drone also drastically reduces the police investigators' exposure to chemicals and off-gassing at fire scenes, Ernst said.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com