Three teenage boys face arson charges following a fire that destroyed a home at the corner of 100 Avenue and 104 Street in downtown Westlock last Tuesday afternoon.
The decision to lay charges follows an investigation into the fire, said Westlock RCMP acting Cpl. Richard Buisseret. The investigation deemed the fire as suspicious, given how it appeared to progress through the building.
Two of them are 15 years old and the third is 16 — none can be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They are due to appear in Westlock Provincial Court on May 8.
Buisseret said the investigation determined there had been fires in various locations inside the house, which then spread and consumed the building.
He said the investigation turned up signs the fire had also been helped along.
“They brought in an accelerant-sniffing dog … and the dog did detect accelerants were used in one location of the house,” he said.
Town fire chief Stuart Koflick said no one was injured in the blaze, and the home was completely destroyed.
Firefighters received the call to respond to a structure fire at around 4:20 p.m. on April 23. Responding to the scene were the town, county, Pickardville and Clyde departments.
“Upon arrival on scene by fire crews, a working fire was observed in progress,” Koflick said. “The fire department made an aggressive interior attack and exterior attack, combined with defensive positions to the structure to the south.”
It took firefighters until about 7:10 p.m. to bring the fire under control, he said, explaining that means the fire is no longer advancing and the attack can switch to simply putting out the flames and extinguishing any hot spots.
Crews remained on scene until around 9:45 p.m. Koflick said.
However, the town crew was back on the scene on April 24 just past 9:10 p.m. to douse a flare-up in the attic.
“It’s not uncommon to have flare-ups like that,” Koflick said. “Depending on how deeply seated the fire gets into the building, it can be hidden in the walls and the roof and other parts of the structure.”
He added the house was wide open after the windows were broken and the fire ripped through the roof and walls, leaving a breeze blowing through the building, stoking smouldering embers.
The fire attracted crowds from all around town who heard the sirens and saw the smoke.
Only one building was reported to have been evacuated.
Westlock library director Doug Whistance-Smith said the library shut down at around 4:30 p.m. as the smoke blew south over the building. On Wednesday, he said patrons and staff could still smell smoke inside the building.
A trust account has been set up at the Bank of Nova Scotia for the Pelletier family. Anyone interested in donating is invited to visit the bank and speak to a teller.
For more photos and video of the blaze visit the Westlock News’ Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westlock-News/130628693670762.
