RCMP not connecting Armstrong house fire with earlier suspected arsons

ARMSTRONG – Police are investigating a suspicious house fire in Armstrong, but say it is not believed to be linked to a series of unsettling fires last month in the community.

On April 9, just before 11p.m., police were called to assist the Armstrong/ Spallumcheen Fire Department with a residential structure fire located in the 3660 block of Sage Avenue, RCMP spokesperson Const. Kelly Brett says in a release.

Upon police attendance, the rear of the home was fully engulfed in flames, Brett says. The fire was extinguished, but not before significant damage to the home was sustained. One occupant of the home received minor injuries to a hand and was treated by Emergency Health Services. All other occupants escaped without injury.

“Occupants of the home and community members are understandably shaken from this event as recent arsons have occurred in the Armstrong area, however this fire is being treated as a separate suspicious incident and is not considered linked to the previous arsons in the area,” Brett says.

The fire remains under investigation as the RCMP continue to work with the Armstrong Fire Department.

In the unrelated cases, a 60-year-old Armstrong woman is facing charges in connection with a series of suspected arsons in March that caused varying degrees of damage to local homes.

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