Police are searching for a suspected arsonist after seven overnight fires were set in a one-hour period in the area near the intersection of Danforth and Coxwell avenues in the city's east end.

Between 3:15 a.m. and about 4:20 a.m., a vehicle was destroyed, a pair of porches were set ablaze and firefighters had to extinguish three garbage fires. There were no reported injuries in any of the fires. All the fires happened within a 1.5-kilometre radius.

"We are looking at these fires as if they are grouped together," Toronto Police Insp. Paul MacIntyre said at a news conference Wednesday.

On Strathmore Boulevard, a homeowner awoke at 3 a.m. to the sound of his car alarm. The man, who has two small children at home, went outside to find his Honda SUV on fire. The heat of the flames cracked windows of his neighbour's house.

At one house on Coxwell Avenue near Danforth, the flames destroyed the siding of a house after two trash cans were set on fire.

No arrests have been made and police have not released a suspect description.

Toronto Fire Services Capt. Mike Strapko says residents in the neighbourhood should make sure their sheds and vehicles are locked.

MacIntyre said fires set near buildings in the early morning hours, when most people are sleeping, "have a great potential to be fatal."

He asked homeowners to ensure that any security cameras they have are working, and that their properties are well lit. MacIntyre also said he wants home owners to contact police if they see anything suspicious.

"We are asking everybody to be vigilant," he said. "We don't mind a phone call if they see something suspicious. If you see someone in your neighourhood that you don't recognize, we would like to speak to him. That's how we're going to catch this guy."

This home on Coxwell near Danforth has damage to the side where 2 garbage cans went up in flames this morning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcto?src=hash">#cbcto</a> <a href="http://t.co/gCUjyCiDC4">pic.twitter.com/gCUjyCiDC4</a> —@LindaWardCBC