Whether it was a deliberate or careless act remains unknown, but Trail police have confirmed the McQuarrie Creek fire was indeed caused by a person or persons.
“The fire was human-caused but not yet determined if it was intentionally or accidentally set,” RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said. “It was not caused by a cigarette and no accelerant was used.”
The case is being handled by an officer in the Trail GIS (General Investigation Section) who worked with a provincial wildfire investigator at the scene, located behind Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.
There are no suspects at this point.
Earlier this week Regional Fire Chief Dan Derby reported his crews and the wildfire service had been patrolling McQuarrie Creek and the hospital bench daily.
“Suppression work and the rain have the fire out, and no further actions are required,” he advised Tuesday. “We are conducting a multi-agency debrief next week to share our ‘well-dones,’ learn from each other’s experiences, and focus our improvements in areas that have an inter-agency impact.”
The City of Trail immediately shutdown trails leading into the fire zone, but have since re-opened all but one.
Derby said Ravens Rock Trail will remain closed until a slope stability assessment is completed.
Reports of smoke emanating from the hospital bench were called into regional fire rescue just after 4:30 p.m. Sept. 11.
The interface fire was kept from spreading beyond 1.6-hectares and from threatening the hospital through a coordinated emergency response. Helicopters, air tankers and ground crews from the BC Wildfire Service worked alongside regional firefighters and other regional agencies, the City of Trail, Greater Trail RCMP, Interior Health, and the BC Ambulance Service.
Initially reported to be sparked by lightning, the following day BC WildFire Service reported the suspected origin to be human-caused.
The wildfire season began early in Trail this year when a fire, suspected to be human-caused, was sparked in upper Sunningdale the afternoon of May 12. The two-hectare fire was snuffed out in about four hours with the help of crews and air tankers from the BC Wildfire Service.
Two days later, this time between the regional hospital and Trail high school, a fire was discovered just before 10:30 p.m.
Also suspected to be human-caused, the blaze was extinguished by regional firefighters who worked into the early hours of May 15.