(Image Credit: Tyler Ramsay)

By Sydney Chisholm

arson

Aberdeen, Knutsford residents on edge after vehicles destroyed by arson fires

May 15, 2023 | 6:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — A string of arsons has many in the neighbourhoods of Aberdeen and Knutsford on edge after three families woke in the middle of the night to the smell of diesel and the sight of flames.

Around 3:00 a.m. Saturday (May 13), Knutsford resident Amy Bethell woke to a loud bang outside, only to quickly realize all three of the vehicles in her driveway were engulfed in flames.

“As soon as the fire department showed up, one of the first words out of their mouths was ‘arson,’” Bethell told CFJC News.

Not too far away in Aberdeen, security video from Laurier Drive shows a white SUV drive past the homes and parallel park on the street. Two individuals exit the car and gather supplies from the trunk.

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Jonathan Oliver’s wife woke up when her 5-year-old son got up to use the washroom. Through the window, she saw two men she thought to be her neighbours.

“Instead of being our neighbours, she realized there was someone in our garage in our carport. She thought someone was stealing something from our carport,” Oliver said. “Then she saw a jerry can in their hands she still thought they were stealing a jerry can from us even though we don’t have a jerry can in our garage.”

It didn’t take long for her to realize someone was actually pouring fuel on the vehicle and trying to set it ablaze.

After setting one truck on fire and dousing multiple other vehicles in fuel, the individuals ran back to their car, leaving the jerry cans behind and traumatizing the neighbourhood in the process.

“We don’t sleep at night anymore — we don’t. You hear the most random noise and now you’re worried,” said Tyler Ramsay, a victim who had his truck destroyed by fire. “You’re constantly on edge and it’s just terrible.”

Luckily, Kamloops Fire Rescue crews attended and put out the fire before it could spread, but the families involved can’t help but feel the suspects knew they were home and had no concerns about endangering them.

“We view this as attempted murder. It’s truly what it was,” Oliver said. “Seeing someone pour diesel on a vehicle knowing we were at home, less than – well my vehicle was in my house.”

KFR views the fire as suspicious in nature and noted how quickly it could have spread to the homes and the rest of the neighbourhood.

“It’s not a stretch, because the house was on fire from the outside,” KFR Asst. Chief Scott Karpiak explained. “Again the radiant heat coming off a fully-involved vehicle, let alone three in this case, is quite substantial,”

The RCMP said they are investigating the incident deemed suspicious in nature and are asking anyone in the Knutsford and Aberdeen areas to review any dashcam or security footage.