Arson suspected in early morning blaze that damaged Montreal cell tower

MONTREAL — Police say arson is suspected in a fire that badly damaged a telecommunications tower in southwestern Montreal early Monday. There were no injuries stemming fro. the blaze, which was reported about 3:45 a.m.

MONTREAL — Police say arson is suspected in a fire that badly damaged a telecommunications tower in southwestern Montreal early Monday.

There were no injuries stemming fro. the blaze, which was reported about 3:45 a.m.

Firefighters managed to douse the flames but noted traces of accelerant, suggesting it had been deliberately set.

Arson investigators are now probing the blaze.

Earlier this month, Quebec provincial police arrested a man and a woman in their 20s in connection with seven cell tower fires in the Laurentians and Laval, north of Montreal, over the span of a week.

Conspiracy narratives around 5G — the fifth-generation technology standard for cellphone companies — and COVID-19 have been shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media, leading to attacks on cell towers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2020.

The Canadian Press