COQUITLAM — A fire at a heritage home in Maillardville originally deemed suspicious will keep that classification for now.

Coquitlam Fire and Rescue chief Tony Delmonico said fire investigators have had trouble figuring out the exact cause of the blaze that pretty much destroyed the abandoned fourplex at 1123 Brunette Ave. on Aug. 13.

“Due to the damage sustained by the building, it’s difficult to precisely pinpoint the actual cause,” he said.

The home had been boarded up prior to the fire and there was no power or gas going to the building.

Delmonico noted there were first-hand reports of “suspicious activity” in the neighbourhood prior to the blaze.

The investigation has been referred to Coquitlam RCMP.

The home was also the scene of a fire one year earlier.

At one point, five fire trucks and 20 firefighters were working on the blaze, while smoke blanketed the Como Lake area between Mariner Way and Blue Mountain Street.

The fire department has also handed the investigation into another suspicious fire in the Maillardville area over to police.

Fire crews were called to the 900 block of Tupper Avenue during the early morning hours of Aug. 25 to a stolen three-ton cube van on fire.

The blaze spread to the roof of a nearby auto body shop, but was quickly extinguished.

The building suffered an estimated $5,000 in damage, while the truck was a write-off.

Delmonico noted fire investigators don’t believe the two fires are related.

The truck was reported stolen from New Westminster.