The Windsor Police Service is 'concerned' following an increase in arson investigations in 2023.
There were 89 cases last year, 26 more than the 63 recorded in 2022.
The figures include 12 arson cases this past December alone.
Deputy Chief Jason Crowley says while there are true arson cases, a lot of them involve people experiencing homelessness.
Crowley says it's not uncommon for people experiencing homelessness to be in abandoned houses to try and stay warm.
"We're aware of that. We try to work with our human and health services, our family services to try and get ahead of it with housing people. We have initiatives here where we're working with those community partners," he says.
Crowley says while there was one true arson, a good majority of the cases they saw in December involved people trying to stay warm.
"That's why we have to work with our partners. Everybody, human health services, family services, the shelters, all these things that we're working with. It is hard to get ahead of that because it can happen anywhere. We have a lot of abandoned or empty homes, so it can happen anywhere. To get ahead of it for us is difficult but we're doing the best we can right now to do that," he adds.
On Dec. 22, 2023, police arrested and charged a 28-year-old woman with arson causing damage.
The charges stemmed from an investigation into a fire at a vacant home in the 600-block of Riverside Drive East that resulted in an estimated $400,000 in damage.