‘Suspicious’ fire severely damages courthouse in Golden, B.C.: RCMP

A fire severely damaged the courthouse in Golden B.C., early Monday morning.

The Golden Fire Department said crews responded to the building on Park Drive around 3:30 a.m.

The structure burned for a number of hours while crews sprayed the building down.

Golden RCMP now say the fire is suspicious in nature.

“Early observations point to it as being a purposeful arson,” RCMP said in a release.

One firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries fighting the fire and was taken to the Cranbrook Hospital according to the Golden Fire Department.

No one was inside the building when the fire broke out, according to the fire department. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

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The building houses the community’s provincial courthouse but no cases were scheduled to be heard Monday.

The area will remain cordoned off while fire crews continue efforts to contain the fire, and investigators examine the scene.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to contact the Golden RCMP Detachment, at 250-344-2221.

– with files from The Canadian Press