Firefighters work to suppress a tire fire outside Kal Tire Place Nov. 20.
Image Credit: Vernon Fire and Rescue Services
November 21, 2014 - 8:06 AM
VERNON - A large fire outside Kal Tire Place has been deemed suspicious in nature.
Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says a trailer containing a large pile of tires appears to have been set on fire sometime before 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“With the temperature and time of night, there is no other real means,” Skolrood says. “Tires don’t self combust.”
The fire was located behind the Kal Tire Place parking lot, in a space used for Go-Karting. Firefighters suppressed the fire and were able to save the trailer, but it was tough work.
“Tires are always a challenge, they’re hard to put out,” Skolrood says. “You have to pull them apart and extinguish them almost one by one.”
The large fire lit up the sky and was visible from other parts of the city Thursday night.
“It had pretty spectacular results, very high flames,” Skolrood says. “It’s hard to put them (tire fires) out, and not overly easy to start them.”
The fire department is currently working with the RCMP to investigate the incident. Skolrood says it’s too early to tell whether it might be connected to an earlier rash of arsons.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
—This story was edited at 12:22 p.m. Nov. 21 to include more information from deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014