Early in the morning on Friday, June 19 the 100 Mile House Fire Rescue responded to a case of suspected arson near structures of 103 Mile subdivision.
Fire Chief Roger Hollander said they received the call about multiple small fires in the 103 Mile area at 2 a.m. and quickly arrived at the scene. Hollander said his crews were met upon arrival with some young witnesses who had first observed the fires and called 911 who then directed the firefighters to the locations of these two separate fires. The crews were then able to extinguish the small blazes quickly, he said.
“It appeared to be some materials and items that were on fire, fuel soaked rags and some cans that were in a ditch,” Hollander said. “It’s certainly human-caused, these fires were both intentionally set and it was very obvious.”
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The unfortunate part, Hollander said, is the fires were set near some homes and buildings in the area and while they were able to extinguish the fires, from a safety standpoint these fires still put the residents and occupants of the area at risk. To that end, he is encouraging residents to stay vigilant and watch out for suspicious individuals in the area and if needed contact the local RCMP. The police have been contacted about this event, Hollander confirmed.
“We’re hoping this is a one-off situation but there’s nothing we can do at this point but just be vigilant,” Hollander said. “We’re just glad the witnesses stopped and called 911 so early in the morning.”
He’d like to thank the young ladies who did call 911 early Friday morning as while they were small blazes, they were continuing to burn due to their fuel. Calling the fire department if you see open flames is always the right thing to do he, concluded.
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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