The remains of a Pontiac Wave and Boler trailer that caught fire in Peachland.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Shawn Kisielius

After leaving his car and trailer parked in Peachland for a month, Shawn Kisielius returned to find them both burnt to a crisp.

Kisielius purchased the vehicle in the summer while working at Zipzone Peachland. A friend has a mining claim close to his old workplace, off of Brenda Mines Road, and allowed him to park his car and trailer on site. 

“I had my own little camp there,” he said.

Kisielius had no way of knowing what happened until he returned to the location yesterday, Dec. 3, to find his possession had been destroyed.

“It was devastating,” he said. “That was everything I worked for all year – I just bought the trailer, a new bed that I bought was in there, my tent from the summer, a stove, a brand new car battery, I just put new studded tires on.”

READ MORE: Security guard's car torched on Kamloops's North Shore

“They didn’t seem to care about setting the forest on fire because it was parked under the tree.”

The car was a Pontiac Wave and the trailer was a Boler.

Asked if the fire could have been the result of something like faulty wiring, Kisielius said no, it was set ablaze intentionally.

He can’t understand what would motivate somebody to burn his valuables. He said he didn’t meet many people while living and working in Peachland and the relationships he did form were all positive.

“I came here just to get that stuff, a friend drove across Canada to help out, and that’s what I showed up to.”

After the discovery was made he said people from Peachland reached out to provide financial support.

He said the damage isn’t be covered by his basic insurance plan, and he doubts a police investigation would yield any results, so he has not reported the fire to the RCMP.

“Not sure if I will, I’m still processing it.”

Kisielius had no way of removing the remains of the car and trailer from the site, though he hopes there will be some way he can help clean it up.

READ MORE: Kamloops, Vernon volunteers helping remove burned vehicles, fire-proofing

Looking ahead, Kisielius has a job lined up for the winter at RED Mountain Resort in Rossland.

“At least that’s something to look forward to,” he said.

Kisielius owns another vehicle in Rossland, but it’s a pickup truck that’s been stuck in second gear for years, which makes it very expensive on fuel, he said.

Kane Blake, founder of the Okanagan Forest Task Force, said he it's not surprising to find valuables set ablaze in the backcountry. 

"Happens all the time unfortunately," he said. 

Blake said most people are unaware of what goes on in the bush. 

An email to the RCMP was not responded to.

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