The Fort St John Fire Department responded to a fire after plumes of smoke was seen coming from the second floor of a resident.
The Fort St. John Fire Department and Fort St. John frontline RCMP officers quickly responded after black smoke was reported bellowing out of a window at a residence on February 6, at about 6 pm
The residence is located above a commercial building at 8111 100 Avenue, and when fire crews arrived they found an active blaze that required deploying hose lines to contain the fire.
The occupant of the rental unit was not present during the firefighting operations, and the fire crew was able to swiftly contain and bring the blaze under control around 6:15 PM. The response included five apparatus and a team of 15 firefighters.
A report that a potential suspect had been seen fleeing the scene was received by the local RCMP while responding to the fire. Additional units were dispatched, and the suspect was located and taken into custody without incident. According to a media release the suspect was still in custody on February 7.
Overhaul operations were conducted by firefighters who remained on scene, ensuring the fire was fully extinguished while searching for any hot spots. To further the investigation, the residence was also secured by local police overnight to obtain a search warrant.
PNG and BC Hydro shut off utilities to the affected unit as a precaution during the firefighting efforts.
“The investigation is in the early stages but is believed to be an isolated incident,” said Constable Chad Neustaeter, Fort St John RCMP Media Relations Officer. “The results of the search warrant and fire investigation will direct the course of the investigation.”
Local RCMP have taken over the investigation while the cause of the fire remains uncertain. The Fort St. John Fire Department will support the RCMP as needed throughout the investigation.
The Fort St. John RCMP continue their investigation and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 250-787-8100. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.northernbccrimestoppers.ca.
Comments