Investigators determine Kamloops motel fire was human caused

Kamloops RCMP say a fire in a Kamloops motel room last week was caused by a person.

However, fire investigators are still unsure if the fire was caused by negligence or arson, according to a Kamloops RCMP media release.

Emergency crews were called to a suspicious fire at the Travelodge motel on Rogers Way on Jan. 30. A man was seen fleeing from a motel room and leaving in a pickup truck. Police say they have identified the man but have not located him yet.

"Police officer's next steps will be to find the man and interview him to determine the cause of the fire and if it was criminal or not," Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says in a release.

Shelkie says the man had rented the room and then left after the fire started and knows police are looking for him.

"It would be in his best interest to present himself to the nearest RCMP detachment to give a statement of what happened on the morning of Jan. 30," she says.

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