A blaze rips through a house and trailer on Lambert Court on Oct. 29 just prior to the arrival of the Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department. Investigators are looking into whether the fire and a break-and-enter at the home the day before are related. Photo by Paul Everest - Click on photo for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-November 4, 2009
By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times
Investigators are looking into suspicious circumstances surrounding a fire that broke out on Lambert Court in Osoyoos on the evening of Oct. 29.
A two-storey house and trailer at 6 Lambert Crt. went up in flames just after 6 p.m.
The house’s residents, Jay Anast and his children, were not home at the time and no one was injured in the blaze.
Members of the Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the site to find the home’s carport and roof burning as well as the trailer, which was parked in the house’s driveway.
At one point flames were shooting several metres in the air, scorching a large pine tree next to the trailer and threatening power lines.
With several fire trucks and other emergency vehicles at the scene, along with a series of small explosions, a crowd of spectators gathered at the intersection of the court and Hwy. 3 to watch firefighters douse the blaze and remove at least one propane tank attached to the burning trailer.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control in about an hour and were cleaning up until about 11 p.m.
Department Chief Rick Jones said an investigation into the blaze is ongoing and the fire will be looked at by someone from the B.C. Fire Commissioner’s office as well as an investigator from the resident’s insurance company.
Right now it appears possible that the fire started in the trailer, Jones said, adding that the blaze was ‘suspicious.’
Neighbours said the home was broken into the day before and pipes were broken under a sink and a television was damaged.
Cpl. Jason Bayda, a spokesman for the Osoyoos-Oliver RCMP detachment, confirmed that police did attend the home on Oct. 29 in response to a report of a break-and-enter the night before.
He said someone had turned some taps on in the house which had caused flooding and repair work was being done in the house the day of the fire.
A small amount of money was taken from the residence as well during the break-and-enter.
Police are looking into whether the fire was deliberately set, Bayda said, and added that the break-and-enter didn’t seem “random.”
The homeowner told police he did not have any enemies, Bayda said.
Anast was not available for comment before press time.
On Oct. 30, a security fence was set up around the home and a security guard was stationed outside the house.
While the home’s roof was extensively damaged and the trailer was destroyed, properties on either side of the burnt home received little or no damage.
Katarina Kocen, who lives next door, said she was alerted to the fire when she heard a bang.
She thought the sound was related to a Halloween activity and came outside to investigate and immediately began to fear that her home would catch on fire as well.
“I was afraid that if it caught his roof, it could jump to my roof,” Kocen said.
Gary and Helen Keful, who live just behind the burnt house, said they thought something had hit their house when they heard a bang.
When they came outside and saw the trailer in flames, they grabbed whatever valuables they could and prepared to leave.
However, they did not have to spend the night away from their home, they said, as firefighters arrived quickly and were able to prevent the fire from spreading.
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