OLIVER — An 84-year-old man whose dream home went up in flames in the Wilsons Mountain Wildfire is not only suffering from the recent loss, but now his property is being investigated.
Wally Yahnke says he hasn’t been able to return to his home since the blaze was sparked last Friday evening.
READ MORE: Oliver man loses “dream home” in Wilsons Mountain fire
Yahnke says he’s feeling uneasy because RCMP are not allowing him back in his home and are not releasing any information.
“They’re not saying anything. If they blame it on me, I don’t know why a person would burn his own house down. I don’t have any insurance,” Yahnke exclaims.
B.C. Wildfire Service says where and how the wildfire started is unknown, but their investigators, along with the B.C. Fire Commissioner and B.C. Safety Authority, are on Yahnkee’s property.
“We need to keep that area secured so it doesn’t get compromised by people,” says Noelle Kekula, a fire information officer. “When there’s a loss of infrastructure and structures, we need to do investigations and understand the cause.”
Yahnke says a broken power pole may have ignited the 317-hectare blaze.
“There was a wire hanging down there sparking,” he says.
Kekula says whether the wildfire was caused by people or lightning is still unknown.
She says depending on the complexity of the investigation, it could take awhile before anyone has answers to what caused the Wilsons Mountain Wildfire.
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