Police suspect a fire that shut down the Victoria Street Bridge last week was purposefully started.
"We believe an item underneath the bridge was set on fire directly," Sgt. Mike Wicentowich told the Trail Times on Friday.
"The matter remains under criminal investigation," he said.
"The camp was on fire, not the bridge, for further clarification."
Regarding speculation from bystanders that a propane tank blew up, Wicentowich said that is not the case.
"The propane tank did not explode, but may have contributed to a loud noise."
Police, bylaw and fire will move any future camps from underneath the bridges to help mitigate risk to critical infrastructure, he added.
"We would ask the public to report any camps located under any of our bridges."
Just past 8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6, crews arrived on scene to a significant encampment fire under the West Trail side of the Victoria Street Bridge.
Police reported early Wednesday that a camp located underneath the bridge caught fire and caused the closure of the bridge for approximately one hour while emergency crews extinguished it.
While firefighters gained control of the blaze, police assisted with managing traffic in the downtown core.
Wicentowich told the Times that EHS (ambulance) was on the scene and anyone needing the hospital was allowed to travel over the bridge.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) staff attended to evaluate damage to the structure.
According to the Trail RCMP, first responders noted the bridge sustained damage to electrical wiring and components; however, appeared to be structurally undamaged.
Police confirm an investigator has spoken to an occupant of the camp and a person of interest, and are seeking video surveillance of the area.
In all, 19 firefighters attended, with no injuries reported.
