Nanaimo RCMP are working with what information they have to track down whoever set fire to a power pole in the city’s downtown last night.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to the blaze at the intersection of Victoria Road and Cavan Street shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, March 14.
“We got on scene and it was going up like a candlestick up the pole,” said Stu Kenning, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief.
He said the fire was knocked down quickly and B.C. Hydro was called to the site to disconnect the power and make the area safe.
“There was a causative link to, most likely, a homeless tent or gathering that’s been at the base of the pole for a while,” Kenning said.
Last night, in an act of vandalism, a fire was set at the base of a power pole in downtown #Nanaimo. This was a dangerous act that not only exposed the perpetrators, but the public, first responders and our crews to significant risk. Firefighters responded quickly and were able… pic.twitter.com/S5e9u4lcrV
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) March 15, 2024
Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, said police are investigating the incident, but don’t have much information to go on.
“Apparently some unhoused individuals were seen near the pole prior to the fire. There’s nothing to say that they were actually involved in it, but they would certainly have some knowledge of it, but we don’t have a lot to work on,” O’Brien said. “Thank goodness the pole didn’t sustain any more damage. Crews were on it quickly and put the fire out.”
According to B.C. Hydro’s online power outage listings, the fire cut power to 10 customers in downtown Nanaimo.
“This was a dangerous act that not only exposed the perpetrators, but the public, first responders and our crews to significant risk,” noted a social media post from B.C. Hydro.
Kevan Shaw, founder of the Victoria Crescent Association, said in an e-mail that he is crying for the neighbourhood and the city.”
“It could have been even worse, and unfortunately, it will, as fires are now a daily occurrence in the Victoria Crescent area, downtown and throughout our once even more-beautiful city,” he said.
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