Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson is pledging "every resource at our disposal" to root out members of a group calling itself the Anti-Gentrification Front (AGF).
The group has claimed responsibility for the house fire in the 1900-block of East First Avenue that fire trucks responded to at about 1:30 a.m. May 15.
The group also posted a claim on the Anarchist News website that it is responsible for repeated attacks on Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria at 1380 Commercial Drive.
"City of Vancouver, who promotes gentrification with their Grandview Woodland community plan, were also were visited by the AGF. Two of their trucks had their windows smashed (six all together, including two windshields) and one of their tractors had their huge window shattered," the alleged anarchists wrote on the website.
"This is a [expletive] class war and we will not stop until we are free from class, the state and all others who oppress us. Your time will come."
Robertson said that the alleged arson of a house under construction is of "significant concern" given the context of what he called "extremist claims" online. He added that he is in close contact with Vancouver Police Department (VPD) chief Jim Chu.
"Innocent lives could have been lost," Robertson said. "Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in the City of Vancouver and any criminal acts will be investigated and responded to with every resource at our disposal."
