Police are investigating a suspicious residential fire in which valuable contents of the home were removed beforehand.
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Aug. 10, Sicamous RCMP responded to a report of a house fire at 8131 Hutchinson Road in Mara.
Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says officers arrived on the scene to find the vacant home burned to the ground and a bystander attempting to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby forest.
Further investigation revealed that the lock to the main entrance gate had been cut, and the contents of the home, such as appliances, furniture, a flat-screen television and a barbecue, had been removed prior to the fire.
“RCMP believe the contents were removed a day or so prior to the fire by unknown culprits,” says Vinet. Anyone with information that may help with this investigation, is encouraged to call the local detachment at 250-836-2878, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.