A fire behind the Vanderhoof Museum in the early hours of April 18 could have been a lot worse.
Police and fire units responded to a call of a vehicle fire around 4 a.m. that morning. When they arrived, they found a 2000 Ford Ranger fully engulfed in flames.
“The vehicle was lying on its side,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Beach said. “It looks like it was flipped over when the gas tank caught and fire and blew up.
“It was a very intense fire. One of the rims on the vehicle was partly melted.”
However, the placement of the fire proved fortunate.
“It was in the middle of the parking lot,” Beach said, “so it was well away from the building itself.”
The vehicle, which was uninsured, was reported stolen by its owner later that morning.
The police investigation is continuing, and anyone with information is asked to call the RCMP at 250-567-2222.