Early morning fire at horse rescue society deemed arson by Salmon Arm RCMP

A suspicious fire early Wednesday that torched a truck and damaged a carport at a horse rescue society in Salmon Arm was intentionally set, according to police.

The 4 a.m. blaze occurred at Freedom’s Gate Equine Rescue Society along 44^th Avenue Northwest, and fully engulfed the truck.

The fire then spread to the nearby house, with RCMP saying the carport sustained extensive damage.

“The fire department was able to restrict the fire to the vehicle and carport, saving the main structure of the residence,” Salmon Arm police said.

“As RCMP and fire department personnel investigated the scene, it was determined that the fire was intentionally set using an accelerant.”

Police said a tall man was seen running from the residence at the time the occupants awoke and called the fire department. Police are calling it an act of arson and that the incident is being investigated.

They added the residents were awoken by loud noises, “likely parts of the vehicle popping as the vehicle was consumed by fire.”

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“I made the 911 call at four o’clock on the dot,” said Carly Marchand-Jones of Freedom’s Gate, a non-profit society that operates solely on public donations.

She said the truck is a total loss and that “our house did light on fire a little bit, just the carport, thank God.” She also noted that two trailer panels were also damaged in the blaze.

Marchand-Jones noted that one hour after the fire department left, the truck re-ignited, and that her husband and son used fire extinguishers to re-douse the vehicle.

“Approximately 10 feet away from this fire were my son’s acetylene tanks for welding,” said Marchand-Jones, adding her family was grateful for the fire department’s rapid response.

“This could have had a much worse outcome.”

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Asked if the incident is going to seriously impact Freedom’s Gate, Marchand-Jones said they’ll recover.

“In my mind, if there’s no deaths, then it’s a bump in the road. You can get over anything,” she said. “Yes, it’s a massive inconvenience, but we’ll figure it out.”

For more information about Freedom’s Gate Equine Rescue Society, which has been rescuing horses since 2015, click here.