Arson
Storage yard latest target in string of suspected arsons
VERNON - Police and the fire department are investigating a suspicious fire at a Vernon storage yard. It is the seventeenth suspected arson under investigation by authorities. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the fire was reported just after midnight Monday morning. The target was a small wooden structure in a storage lot owned by Chapman...
Sheriff’s vehicle set on fire near Vernon courthouse
VERNON - A B.C. Sheriffs car is the latest victim in a series of suspected arsons. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the vehicle was parked on 27 Street near the Vernon Courthouse. The RCMP was alerted to the fire around 10:40 p.m. June 12. “When the police attended they noticed a small fire burning beneath...
A new chapter begins in the storied life of the Hotel El
KELOWNA – After more than a year of aggressive interest and offers from Kelowna real estate development company Argus Properties, Hotel Eldorado owner Jim Nixon decided the time was finally right to sell after 25 years. “They wanted what I wanted,” Nixon says on Argus’ plans for the hotel, marina and restaurant. “It’s a local...
Fiery scene considered suspicious
VERNON - A flaming dumpster in Coldstream is the latest in a series of suspicious fires in the area. The Coldstream fire department was dispatched to the Graystone Drive fire around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Six firefighters were at the fire hall that night for training and were able to respond immediately. “As we came down...
Vernon arson tally continues to climb
VERNON - Fire set to an abandoned house and a pleasure boat has added to the list of suspected arsons within the city. Saturday around midnight, Vernon RCMP were called to a fire in an abandoned house in the 3800 block of 30 Avenue. “The rear of the building was totally engulfed when the fire...
Arrests made in Vernon arson case
SERIAL ARSON SUSPECT STILL ON THE LOOSE VERNON - Police have made arrests in one of 13 suspected cases of arson in the Vernon area. Two men, aged 24 and 30, were arrested Friday evening for setting fire to some trash behind AJ’s Pets & Things on 31 Avenue. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the...
Boat fire in Armstrong could be connected to string of Vernon arsons
VERNON - Police are investigating whether a suspicious boat fire in Armstrong is connected to a rash of suspected arsons in the Vernon area. Emergency personnel were dispatched to 143 L & A Crossing Rd. Saturday around 10:40 p.m. for a report of a boat on fire. “One boat was completely involved and destroyed and...
A closer look at Vernon’s rash of arsons
TIMES AND LOCATIONS DISPLAYED ON ARSON MAP VERNON - While investigators continue to hunt for clues in a continuing series of suspected arsons, a map shows most were set within four kilometers of each other between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The suspicious fires — set in dumpster bins, pallets, vacant homes and vehicles —...
Residents, business owners warned to take precautions against alleged arsonist
"CLEAN UP ANY PALLETS, DON'T HAVE THEM OUT AND AVAILABLE" VERNON - While authorities have determined at least some suspicious fires are not connected to a string of suspected arsons, investigators believe an arsonist is still on the loose in the city. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood, one of the lead investigators, says out of...
Burnt pallets add to list of suspected arsons
VERNON - Police and the fire department are burning for answers after responding to another suspected arson. A flaming pile of pallets drew firefighters to an industrial area in the 4600 block of 34 Street shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. Authorities are calling the fire suspicious and investigating whether it is connected to a recent...
Torched boat latest in series of suspected arsons
VERNON - A torched boat is the latest in a series of suspicious fires under investigation by authorities. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says an 18 foot recreational ski boat with a For Sale sign on it was set ablaze in a parking lot in the 2300 block of 48 Avenue around 11 p.m. Tuesday....
Rash of fires spark concern
VERNON - A series of suspicious fires has police appealing to the public for information. The most recent of the suspected arsons include a vacant building and porta-potty set ablaze Sunday and Monday. Police continue to investigate a pair of suspicious dumpster fires from early May, as well as a chain of unsolved arsons from...