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Arson possible cause of two fires
Yesterday’s wildfire five kilometres west of Kimberley off the St. Mary Lake Road might have been started by embers from an earlier structure fire nearby that police believe may have been an act of arson.
Kimberley RCMP and other emergency agencies responded to two fires in the St. Mary Lake area on August 17.
The first was a structure fire that was reported about 4:30 a.m. Police attended and are conducting an investigation as it’s believed to be arson, reported Cpl. Chris Newel of Kimberley RCMP.
The property is outside the fire protection area; BC Wildfire Service attended and monitored the situation to ensure the fire did not spread. Several neighbours assisted the property owner in keeping the fire contained.
Shortly after noon a wildfire was reported in the same vicinity. A number of agencies quickly responded to prevent the fire from spreading.
“The fires are treated as two incidents by RCMP but investigation indicates that embers from the house fire may have been spread by the wind igniting the forest fire. The house fire investigation is very active; police have several leads that they are following up on,” Cpl. Newel stated.
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