At least four fires in Knutsford on Tuesday night (July 13) have police searching for the driver of a Mazda 6 car.
Just before midnight, Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP was called to the Goose Lake Road area after a witness reportedly saw someone lighting two fires.
Kamloops Fire Rescue and BC Wildfire Services had responded at about 11:30 p.m. to douse the flames.
“Firefighters had the scene under control very quickly and no homes were evacuated, RCMP Const. Crystal Evelyn said. “According to the report, something had been discarded from the window of a white Mazda 6 observed on the roadway earlier, but police were unable to confirm what was discarded or if it is related.”
Evelyn said patrols were made, but the vehicle was not found.
Two more smaller fires were reported after the fact to police as having occurred around the same time around nearby Long Lake Road, she said.
According to the BC Wildfire online map, three of the fires were mapped as being discovered off Goose Lake Road — one at the 10.5-kilometre mark of the road, another at the 3.5-kilometre mark, a third slightly to the northeast of that blaze. A fourth fire was at 4680 Long Lake Rd.
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All four fires, the largest of which estimated to be four hectares, are listed as under control and all are suspected to be human-caused, fire information officer Aydan Coray told KTW.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District fire evacuations map lists the blaze near the fire at the 3.5-kilometre mark of Goose Lake Road being discovered at 4:36 p.m., the fire on Long Lake Road being discovered at 6:46 p.m., the fire at the 10.5-kilometre mark of Goose Lake Road being discovered at 8:22 p.m and the blaze at the 3.5-kilometre mark of Goose Lake Road being discovered at 9:14 p.m. — all of which coincides with their ordered fire numbers on the BCWFS map.
Kamloops Fire Rescue Capt. Darryl Damini confirmed the fire department actioned one of the fires Tuesday evening, located in a hay field near 1045 Goose Lake Rd., adding that one family was evacuated from their home for a short duration.
Mounties say they are interested in speaking with the driver of the white Mazda or its occupants.
Evelyn said police are investigating, but cannot determine as of yet whether the fires were suspiciously set.
Anyone with information on the fires is asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.
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