An unknown individual set fire to a Maple Ridge pharmacy on Monday night, with the owners now pleading for the public's assistance in helping the police identify the suspect.

Maple Ridge's interim fire chief Dave Samson said that fire crews were called to 22338 Selkirk Ave. at 10:15 p.m. on Monday, July 8.

"Crews arrived to discover fire sprinklers were actively flowing, and there were signs of extinguished fire conditions," said Samson. "Crews searched for additional fire conditions and extension, and performed ventilation to remove products of combustion and additional vapours."

Ridge Meadows RCMP also attended the scene, and deemed the fire suspicious in nature, launching an investigation.

The Selkirk Avenue Pharmasave and the Pitt River Medical Clinic are trying to harness the power of social media to help find whoever did this. On their Facebook pages are surveillance images of someone spreading a substance through a sliding metal security gate of the business at approximately 10 p.m. on Monday night and then lighting it on fire as well as related videos.

Karam Abdul-Ahad, owner and manager of the Pharmasave, explained that the fire was set at various locations throughout the building, affecting the pharmacy, the examining room of the medical clinic in the same building, the cosmetic clinic, and the hallway connecting the businesses.

"The cosmetic clinic sustained the most substantial damage, resulting in the complete destruction of equipment valued at over six figures," said Abdul-Ahad.

While no one was located in the pharmacy at the time of the fire, there were three individuals on the second floor, but they were able to escape the building unharmed.

"The pharmacy has resumed full operations, while the medical clinic is functioning at a reduced capacity utilizing the unaffected upper section of the facility," said Abdul-Ahad, adding that the cosmetic clinic still remains closed.

Abdul-Ahad said that while the incident is tragic, the small silver lining is the sheer amount of support the business has received from the community in the aftermath.

"Maple Ridge is a tightly knit community, and we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we have received during this challenging time," he said. "We are eager to apprehend the individual responsible for this malicious act and understand the motives behind their actions."

He emphasized that the person responsible for the fire is not a patient of the pharmacy nor the medical clinic, but had previously visited the site on July 5, where he intentionally set off the sprinkler system in one of the washrooms.

Anyone with information regarding the pharmacy fire is encouraged to contact the Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251 and refer to file number 24-13419.