The fact a Barnhartvale home was in foreclosure when it was destroyed by fire makes the circumstances surrounding the blaze all the more suspicious, a fire inspector said.
Dan Funk spent Monday afternoon sifting through the ashes of the Klahanie Drive home. He said the blaze started outside on a back deck adjacent to the carport.
“She’s a complete write off,” said Funk.
Fire and rescue was dispatched at 3:10 p.m. Sunday. The structure was engulfed in smoke and flames when firefighters arrived. It was deemed unsafe to go inside, so crews encircled the home and blasted the fire with their hoses.
The home’s two tenants managed to escape, but one of the men suffered burns to parts of his body.
The home’s windows and doors were boarded up Monday and some of the exterior’s blue paint was burned grey and black. Funk said the blaze destroyed the entire main floor and carport and caved in the roof.
Funk took samples from the remains of the back deck and handed them over to police. The samples will be sent to an RCMP lab for analysis in hope of finding an accelerant.
He said it’s unclear if the home is the property of the bank or the owner, Raymond Gosen. Funk intends to interview the tenants, as does RCMP.
Gosen could not be reached for comment.
One of the tenants, Patrick Ruddell, told The Daily News on Sunday he believed the fire was the work of an arsonist.
Meanwhile, damage to the Kamloops Dream Lodge is minimal after an early morning blaze Monday.
Fire inspector Kevin Hall said a cabbie driving by the Aberdeen hotel noticed flames on the roof at about 4:20 a.m. and phoned 911. Firefighters contained the fire to the attic.
He said the blaze started in a portion of the hotel that is under construction. The cause has not been determined, but may be the result of an electrical problem.
An investigation is ongoing.
