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~ Police say arson was cause of blaze By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Arson has been confirmed as the cause of last week's blaze which caused more than $150,000 damage to a local gas bar site. Constable Al Robins, mediaspokesperson for North Durham's 26 Division, said yesterday that the early morning fire' at the Ridgeview Cango Gas Bar on Simcoe St. on April 4 was deliberately set. "It is still being actively investigated, but it has definitely been determined as arson. There were several points of ignition," said Const. Robins, noting that accelerant was used to start and spread the fire. Mike Potvin, an official with the Ontario Fire Marshal's office, deemed the blaze arson after an extensive six-hour investigation of the site last week. "The fire was suspicious at the start of the investigation and has since been ruled as arson. A criminal investigation into the matter is now being conducted." Scugog firefighters were called to the blaze shortly after 5 a.m. on April 4 where they found an unoccupied building on fire. The blaze was quickly contained and extinguished. The building, which housed a single upstairs apartment, an unused restaurant, public washrooms and an office, suffered extensive damage in the blaze. The roof of a neighbouring body shop suf- fered minimal damage and nearby gas pumps were unscathed. The gas station resumed serv- ing customers last Friday (April 7) morning. Police are also looking into the vandalism of a number of vehicles on the gas bar lot the evening of the fire, but refuse to comment on if the two are connected. Officers also seized a red gas can the morn- ing of the blaze which was found tossed in a field more than a mile north of the gas station on Old Simcoe Rd. Please turn to page 2 Newspaper of Choice, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2000 COPY 75¢ 28 Pages (70¢ + 5¢ GST) i -------- CHRIS HALL/PORT PERRY STAR CLOSE SHAVE: The Blackstock Fair Board will kick off their beard/mustache growing contest tomorrow evening (April 12) at the Blackstock Rec Centre at 8 p.m. when all contestants entered will be shaved clean. Participants will be judged, and a winner declared, at the 135th annual fair on Aug. 26. Here, Kelly Gatchell gets set for the event with Craig Larmer, who will participate in the contest. Port Perry man hailed as a "hero" By Rik Davie Special to the Star A Port Perry resident has been hon- oured by the Durham Regional Police Service for his part in the arrest of a violent car-jacker last summer. David Dalton, a longtime Scugog resident, was on a shopping trip to an Ajax mall when he heard what he thought was a child in distress after a car accident of some kind. What he ae ER " FOWNE FIR found when he rushed into the mall parking lot was a much different sce- nario. According to Durham Regional Police Sgt. Tom Andrews, Mr. Dalton walked into a potentially deadly situa- tion. A lone 55-year-old female was returning to her vehicle in the mall = parking lot when she was attacked by a 20-year-old male suspect who strug- gled for her car keys. Kevin Saindon, another passerby, heard the woman's screams for help and began to struggle with the suspect. Mr. Dalton arrived to find Mr. Saindon and the male suspect in a physical confrontation. ~ Quickly assessing the situation, Mr. Dalton joined to assist Mr. Saindon. "I knew right away from the yelling Please turn to page 2 IE AND PATIO CEI v3 TIT ETE hem,