Be vigilant folks, seems Vernon has a Fire Bug

[coffeeFreak]

I woke up about 1 a.m the other night and could smell smoke and assumed a neighbour had a fire going in their back yard. No biggy, but just as I was drifting off, I realized that that assumption should not be made given the number of fires in Vernon lately. So I got up and checked it out and thankfully it was some neighbours a few door down.

It is becoming worrisome, and definitely requires all in Vernon to be aware.

More suspicious fires reported in Vernon

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star
posted May 29, 2014 at 10:00 AM

The public is urged to be vigilant after the number of arson fires in Vernon has grown.

RCMP officers responded to two small fires during the early hours of Thursday morning downtown.

“We are treating them as suspicious because there was no reason these fires should occur,” said Gord Molendyk, RCMP spokesperson.

The first incident occurred at about 2:40 a.m. when an officer on routine patrol noticed the Vernon Fire Department dousing a small fire in an alley in the 3200 block of 31st Avenue.

The blaze had been started in some trash, and there was some concern it could spread.

“Any time a fire is near a building, there is the potential it could get into the building,” said Molendyk, adding that there was no damage to the structure.

A short time later at about 3:50 a.m., officers patrolling downtown found trash burning in the roundabout at 30th Avenue and 35th Street.

These are just the latest suspicious fires in Vernon.

On Saturday, firefighters tackled a motorhome fire in the 3600 block of 26th Avenue at about 11 p.m. A fire was also started next to a vehicle at an automobile dealership on Pleasant Valley Road at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

On May 22, firefighters tackled a pile of burning pallets in the 4600 block of 34th Street after 10 p.m.

A boat was also set ablaze May 20, a fire was sparked at a vacant home May 19, a portable outhouse was torched Monday May 19, a pile of railway ties was burned May 16 and a vacant commercial building was destroyed by fire May 18.

All of the incidents are under investigation but few leads have come into the RCMP detachment.

“It could be the time of day because they come in the earning morning hours when people are asleep and they are in light-industrial areas where not many people live,” said Molendyk.

But the police are seeking public assistance to determine who may be responsible for the fires.

“There are tax drivers and delivery people out early in the morning so if they see anything, they should report it to the police,” said Molendyk.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/261120511.html

[jimmy4321]

This is crazy near 20 fires believed to be arson!!!
Hope they get a break on this before someone gets killed.

[rlaboss]

True story: In a lot of cases, the arsonist is a member of the fire dept. What better job to have if you're kinked that way?
I'd start there.

[Dizzy1]

Another grandstand in Vernon gone ...

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#118819

... given the mixed opinions on what that land should be used for, this one does make one think a bit. ;)

[GordonH]

Another grandstand in Vernon gone ...

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#118819

... given the mixed opinions on what that land should be used for, this one does make one think a bit. ;)

The interesting thing here is last evening on CHBC they did a report on this very place. Dealing with dispute between the City and regional district & Kin race track society.

Added: http://globalnews.ca/news/1442573/watch ... in-vernon/

[Dizzy1]

The interesting thing here is last evening on CHBC they did a report on this very place. Dealing with dispute between the City and regional district & Kin race track society.

Added: http://globalnews.ca/news/1442573/watch ... in-vernon/

Electrical concerns .... hmmmm ;)

[kgcayenne]

The first thing I thought of was the episode of the Sopranos where that one slimeball burns down the horse stables to collect insurance on his horse, the cause: electrical.

[bob vernon]

I had to drive by there the morning after the fire and, after having seen the video as well, one thing strikes me. How the fire burned the entire structure and seemed to have started everywhere. All parts were burned equally. If it had started at one end, or the middle, and with the fire department on scene fairly quickly, there should be one part destroyed, and the others damaged to a lesser degree. So it looks beyond very suspicious.

The other fires that we've seen recently in the city were really small, nuisance fires. A pile of pallets. A pile of used tires. Newspapers under a sheriff's car started by a kid on a bike. This was a large structure. Has the arsonist graduated to bigger things? Or was it a second person? Was the fire linked to the dispute between City Hall and the Vernon Agricultural Society? The electricity to the building had been shut off so that seems unlikely as a cause.

Maybe it was just a dry old building going up in flames from unknown causes. Once started, those tinder-dry boards and beams would really burn. Hey, just what is tinder, anyway?

[xjeepguy]

Drove by and had a look too , tinder is what that was . Smelled like 50 year old burnt wood .

[gordon_as]

The electricity to the building had been shut off so that seems unlikely as a cause.

?

I didn't realize the power was shut off. Where did you hear that ? Speaking of power being off , why would they cancel the races over city complaints about the electrical system ? Couldn't they shut it off and just use generators to power a PA system and the concession during race days ?