Oliver remains calm following Sunday’s car bomb event

OLIVER – An exploding car last week has not stopped Oliver residents from their day-to-day activities.

An improvised explosive device exploded beneath an unoccupied vehicle on Aug. 11 around 2 a.m. in the 600 block of Earl Crescent in Oliver. No injuries were reported.

Acting mayor Maureen Doerr said residents were surprised when it happened but as of Friday are not concerned with their personal safety.

"I think it was a shock when it first happened because Oliver is quite small (but) most of these things are not random. They are leaving it up to the police to do their job," she says.

An investigation was launched on Sunday soon after the event. The cement driveway where the car was parked was scorched and showed damage. Two walls were also hit and pierced with shrapnel.

RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen said the investigation is ongoing.

"It's kind of a slow and meticulous process regarding the IED (improvised explosive device)," he said, adding while police have dealt with bombs before, they are not common by any stretch.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Oliver RCMP at 250-498-3422 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.solvecrime.ca.

To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065 or tweet @shannonquesnel1