A fire that destroyed a large two-storey residence at 1546 Blind Bay Rd. has been deemed suspicious.
“There are a number of reasons for this,” says Columbia Shuswap Regional District Regional Fire Chief Kenn Mount of the fire that was reported at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. “There were very few possessions inside, the timing of it, no tampering of electrical and the intensity of the fires, as well as residents reporting explosions.”
As well, Mount says a shed on the property had been emptied, there was evidence that garbage had been burned and there were no vehicles on-site, indicating to Mount that the house was vacant.
“There’s too much damage to determine an accelerant or a source; we have no evidence,” he said, noting the file will be turned over to the RCMP.
Shuswap Fire Chief Gary Hoult says some 16 Shuswap Fire Department volunteers responded and arrived to discover a fully involved fire with flames already through the roof and coming out of the doors and windows.
Hoult received water-tender support from White Lake and Tappen fire departments so there would be an adequate water supply, and the CSRD Rehab Unit was on scene to support firefighters.