None of the men is considered a suspect in the arson, but police believe there may be information related to the ongoing investigation.
Detectives from Victoria’s Serious Crimes Unit are hoping to identify and find two men who are potential witnesses to the arson at the residence of a Ukrainian priest and his family on April 20.
None of the men is considered a suspect in the arson, but police believe there may be information related to the ongoing investigation.
The fire sent a young girl to hospital after receiving severe cuts as she escaped the fire through a second-floor window at Caledonia Avenue’s home.
The first man is described as about 50 years old and white. He is about six feet tall with a medium build, short dark brown hair and a clean-shaven face. He wore a brown jacket with black areas near the shoulders, a black sweater, dark blue jeans, and dark lace-up shoes. The man was in the area of Cook Street and Caledonia shortly after 1 am on April 20.
The second man is described as about 25 years old and either white or from the Middle East. He is six feet tall and two with medium length dark brown hair that is shorter at the sides and back and longer at the top and short beard. He wore a navy blue hooded coat, olive brown pants, dark shoes, and an army green backpack. He was also in the Cook and Caledonian regions shortly after 1 a.m. on April 20.
Investigators say they received some advice after releasing a video of a vehicle driven by a potential witness.
Yuri Vishnevsky, with the help of a neighbor, caught his three daughters as they jumped from the second floor of their house to escape the morning fire. He woke up to check for noise and found flames after someone apparently poured flammable liquid into the mail slot.
Vishnevsky, parish priest in the Ukrainian Catholic Church St. Nicholas next door, and his family barely escaped with their lives.
During their escape, his 11-year-old daughter landed on a broken windowpane, causing a deep cut that tore a nerve in her arm. Initially, first aid workers were concerned about the loss of large amounts of blood from the injury. She has since undergone two operations to repair the damage, and doctors say it could be up to a year before she can regain full use of her arm. Her sutures will be removed next week, but her arm will be in a splint.
While the rest of the family escaped relatively unharmed, it may take longer for the mental wounds to heal.
“We received consulting services,” Vishnevsky said last week. “There is so much information to process at once. It takes time to prioritize information and understand what requires immediate action. “
The heritage house next to the church has suffered severe damage, especially to the front entrance and the stairs to the upper floor.
Police are asking anyone who identifies one of the potential witnesses or who has information about the fire to call the VicPD reporting office at 250-995-7654, internal number 1.
“With files from Pedro Arais.”
dkloster@timescolonist.com
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