Arson
Vernon arsonist sent to jail for lighting townhouse on fire while roommate slept
VERNON - A Vernon man who flicked a cigarette onto a bedroom mattress while his roommate was asleep in another room admitted the act was ‘effing stupid.’ Brandon Joshua Milligan Boyce, 20, turned himself in the same day of the townhouse fire on July 17, 2014. The blaze resulted in over $137,000 in damages to...
Suspicious garage fire quickly doused by Kelowna Fire Department
KELOWNA - An early morning garage fire near Cameron Park in Kelowna caused has been deemed suspicious. The Kelowna Fire Department was called out shortly after 5 a.m. today, Oct. 6, to reports of a fire inside a detached garage. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire but not before there was some damage...
While others walked away, you won’t believe who saved a Vernon pet shop from disaster
"THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID" VERNON - If not for the heroic act of a homeless man, the owners of a Vernon pet store believe their business — and animals — would have been destroyed by fire. AJ’s Pets & Things owners Andrew Willmott and Lisa Badach caught the suspected arsonist...
Arson at car shop in Penticton still under investigation
PENTICTON - An arson at Boyd Autobody and Glass last October is still under investigation and RCMP are hoping someone will be able to provide new information to help move the case forward. On Oct. 3, 2014, Penticton RCMP and the Penticton Fire Department responded to an early morning fire alarm at the repair shop...
Arrest made in Vernon pet store arson
VERNON - Police have charged a local man with arson in connection to a small fire outside AJ’s Pets & Things earlier this month. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says surveillance footage released by the store showed a man appearing to start the Sept. 6 fire. Police appealed to the public for help locating and identifying...
Police investigating another suspicious fire in Vernon
VERNON - Police in Vernon are investigating another suspected arson, this time outside the curling club. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the fire started in a pile of display panels used for hanging merchandise which were stacked at the rear of the building. The Vernon Fire Department managed to put out the blaze before it...
Vernon pet store posts video of arson suspect
VERNON – The owner of a Vernon pet story is hoping someone recognizes the man suspected of starting a fire on the Labour Day long weekend. A video taken by AJ’s Pets and Things security camera has been posted to the store’s Facebook page. Firefighters were called to the downtown store early in the morning...
Suspicious fire at Vernon pet store
VERNON – RCMP has launched an arson investigation after a suspicious fire at a downtown Vernon pet store Sunday night. Vernon firefighters responded to a call around 6:20 a.m., Sept. 6, about smoke coming from AJ’s Pets and Things at 3219 31 Ave. Capt. Reinhard Mann says crews found a fire had been set at...
Two suspicious fires under investigation in Vernon
VERNON - Police are taking two separate suspicious fires in Vernon very seriously. At this point, investigators can’t say if the pair of fires are connected, but RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says these types of cases ‘take a very high priority’ at the detachment, particularly in light of a string of high profile unsolved arsons...
Young Kamloops arsonist caught
KAMLOOPS – Several front yards were set on fire early this morning in Brocklehurst when a suspect lit gasoline soaked paper in driveways. Around 1 a.m., today, July 28, Kamloops RCMP and Kamloops Fire Rescue were called to the 1100-block of Kamwood Place to investigate several yard fires. They found three small fires were lit...
Man facing multiple charges following arson at Kelowna law firm
KELOWNA - A Kelowna man has been charged after setting fire inside a law firm building in downtown Kelowna Monday morning. Cody Weninger, 22, has been charged with assault, resisting arrest and arson following the incident at Pihl Law Corporation on Ellis Street. Weninger entered the building around 10:20 a.m. yesterday, July 13, and set...
Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office
KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...
Suspicious fire damages businesses in Osoyoos
OSOYOOS - A fire at the back of a fitness facility and bowling alley on Highway 97 last week was deliberately set, according to Osoyoos RCMP. Around 3:45 a.m. on July 2 RCMP members noticed smoke coming from the rear of Vengeance Fitness and Kobau Lanes Bowling Alley on Highway 97. They found flames starting...
HELSTON: One tiny, burning ember can do a lot of damage
All of us were reminded this week how destructive fire can be, in so many different ways. On Tuesday night, we saw how fire can take down a building in mere hours, leaving nothing but ash and rubble. It’s awe-inspiring in the most horrific way. But the physical damage is just the beginning. When Vernon’s...
Kelowna RCMP searching for man linked to possible arson
KELOWNA - A fire at Boyd Autobody and Glass damaged four vehicles while a second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper in April and now RCMP are looking to identify a man seen in surveillance footage from the area. In the early morning hours on April 10 the Kelowna Fire Department attended a fire...