A south Okanagan woman says she is “devastated” after losing thousands of dollars’ worth of ranching gear in a vehicle fire early Wednesday morning.
Caley Howard said she abandoned her 1993 Mazda MX-6 on the side of McKinney Road just east of Black Sage Road near Oliver on Christmas Eve because of a flat tire.
“I locked it up and I left my work gear in it and I was going to deal with it when tire stores opened up,” she said.
It was parked there for a few days untouched until it caught fire, destroying everything left in the car.
Oliver Fire Chief Bob Graham said two fire trucks were dispatched to respond to the vehicle fire just after 5:00 a.m. on Osoyoos Indian Band land.
The fire is suspicious in nature and Oliver RCMP are investigating.
The rancher said she’s “devastated” after losing two horseback riding saddles, cowboy hats, riding boots and a winter work jacket in the inferno.
Howard, who was adopted and raised by members of the Osoyoos Indian Band, works for the Aaron Stelkia ranch near Oliver.
She said she’s perplexed why someone would torch her vehicle.
“I have no clue… somebody did it because it was just parked there. There is no reason for somebody to light it on fire.”
Oliver RCMP say they can’t reveal if they’ve identified a suspect or if anyone is in custody.
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