Security around a new addition to the River Point shopping centre has been stepped up after three fires were deliberately set at the complex over as many nights.
Cara Roberts, in the process of opening a nutrition and supplements store at the location, said the first occurred over Thursday night when a small fire was lit in a dumpster beside the building.
On the next night, the walls of a vacant store next door were doused with gasoline and set ablaze, leaving a black scorch mark up one wall before it burned itself out.
Then, on Saturday night, Roberts' business was targeted.
She said gasoline was poured in the middle of the floor and set on fire, igniting some cardboard boxes holding toilets that were about to be installed, but that blaze was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system.
Luckily, the groundskeeper was also driving by and decided to drop in to check on things and turned off the sprinklers before they caused any major damage, Roberts said.
Nothing was stolen even though the contractor's tools and a spool of copper wire were on the site.
However, Roberts said the opening of her store, Active Body Nutrition, could be delayed by up to a month.
In the meantime, she said Curtis Elite now has a guard on site around the clock and video cameras are being installed in the parking lot, while a security system is being installed in her store.
"We're Fort Knox now," she said.
Roberts is asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious on those nights to contact the Prince George RCMP.
