By Ashley Legassic

Investigators hopeful charges will be considered in Elephant Hill fire investigation

Apr 3, 2019 | 11:40 AM

ASHCROFT, B.C. — Questions surrounding how the devastating Elephant Hill wildfire started in July 2017 could soon be answered.

CFJC Today reported yesterday that there has been a delay in the criminal investigation due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

BC RCMP director of communications Dawn Roberts says although the investigation has taken a long time, things are moving in the right direction.

“I can tell you that the investigation remains active and ongoing, that it is progressing in a very positive way, and that the investigators are confident that they’ll be able to complete a report with regards to the totality of their investigative findings and allow those findings to be reviewed by the BC Prosecution Service for charge assessment,” Roberts says.

Roberts says at this point there’s no timeline for when the investigation will be complete, although in response to CFJC Today‘s freedom of information request, the Ministry stated it could conclude by the end of May.

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“I think it’s reasonable to say that this was a very complex investigation, it required additional investigators that were dedicated toward the efforts,” Roberts says. “We were looking at reviewing the forensic information that we had available as well as doing a canvas, witness statements, and a full collection of that evidence, and also throughout the process of the investigation, we not only had to confirm information but sometimes we had to eliminate.” 

Roberts says although it’s been a lengthy investigation, it’s been thorough.

“These types of investigations that are often complex and they do take the time necessary, and so the investigators did move as quickly as possible but they were also mindful of the fact that it had to be a thorough investigation, particularly when we’re looking at the nature of the allegations in the first instance and the impacts that those fires had,” she says.

In response to the delay referred to in the FOI response, Roberts says factors like forensic results, more wildfires during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and speaking with witnesses have impacted the timeline of the investigation.

“I know that that happened throughout this investigation but it still remained a priority for us and we did try to move as many of the tasks forward in the most timely way.”

Roberts says it’s important for the public to understand the totality of the circumstances around why the fire started and who may have been responsible for it.

“These are complex investigations that are also challenged with the fact that we then would have additional wildfires take place in 2018,” Roberts says. “Anything that we can do when we believe that there’s criminality at play on a fire like this — that had a significant devastating impact on the citizens of British Columbia — we do our best to ensure that it becomes a priority investigation.”

Officers received plenty of support, information and cooperation through the investigation, Roberts says, adding that investigators are well-positioned to put together a “fulsome package” for charge assessment.