VERNON – After knocking down the flames, Vernon firefighters called in the RCMP.
An overnight fire outside the museum may be arson.
Crews were called at about 2:30 a.m. Friday and found the fire burning in roofing materials being stored at the back of the museum.
The flames scorched an outside wall of the museum and a nearby tree.
However, fire officials know it could have been worse.
“If it had broken through the window, which is right next to the fire [marks] on the building, it would have entered the building,” said deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood.
Friday a pile of charred debris sat outside the museum surrounded by police tape.
On the other side of the museum’s wall are artifacts from Vernon’s past, some dating back more than a century.
“It is irreplaceable. You lose it, it’s gone,” said archivist Barbara Bell.
Museum staff were relieved that none of the contents were damaged.
“There is no smoke damage. It doesn’t look like anything was specifically thrown at the museum. I think it was just an opportunity outside that somebody came across,” said museum director Tracy Satin.
Fire investigators are calling the blaze suspicious. It comes on the heels of a string of suspected arsons in the BX – Swan Lake area just outside of Vernon.
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“It is frustrating from a fire prevention stand point when we get this kind of activity,” said Skolrood.
“People aren’t really paying much attention to the damage that the fire does bring. It seems to be whatever sensation they get out of it is foremost and most important.”
RCMP and the fire department officials are investigating.