Animal death in downtown Orillia triggers arson investigation: OPP

An animal is dead and an arson investigation is underway following an incident in downtown Orillia on Monday.

At 5 p.m., Orillia OPP and firefighters responded to the intersection of Colborne Street and West Street for “an animal complaint,” police said in a news release.

“Upon arrival, an accelerant was discovered and the animal complained about was unfortunately dead.”

When asked for further information, Const. Derek Tilley said: “Due to the nature of the incident, we consider further details too traumatic to release.”

“All I can say is that this is an ongoing investigation. An accelerant was detected in the area, but … how the animal caught fire is still unknown.”