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B.C. senior in crisis threatened to blow up residential building

The 76-year-old was outside of a supportive housing complex in Sechelt when he made the threat and proceeded to light his van on fire, report RCMP.
Connie Jordison / Keili Bartlett
van-with-smashed-windows-on-hightide
A fire involving a van on the parking lot of BC Housing's Supportive Housing complex happened at about 7:25 p.m. on April 26. Keili Bartlett

A fire inside a van that required the evacuation of BC Housing's Supportive Housing complex in Sechelt was set intentionally, Sunshine Coast RCMP report. 

The fire began around 7:25 p.m. on April 26 in a Sechelt parking lot. The next morning, Sechelt Fire Department Chief Trevor Pike said the incident is considered “suspicious”.

In a press release issued in the afternoon of April 27, Sunshine Coast RCMP said they were called to a report of a man in crisis who was threatening to blow up a residential building. When police arrived on the scene, the man was inside the camperized van and said he had six propane tanks with him, the press release said. 

The RCMP ordered the man to get out of the vehicle, but he refused and started the fire.

Pike said the department was called to the site by the RCMP. He reported that the lone male occupant of the vehicle was able to crawl partially out on his own and was pulled to safety by RCMP officers. 

The doors of the vehicle were either locked or blockaded, the RCMP statement said, preventing efforts to open it. When the fire grew, the man inside then tried to climb out a window. Police pulled him out. 

That individual was treated on scene by BC Emergency Health Services and transported to Sechelt Hospital. Pike described the individual as “elderly” and the vehicle as a “Chevy van”. Police said the man is 76 years old. 

As smoke from the fire had entered the building at 5656 Hightide Avenue, the department evacuated all residents and staff from the structure. The fire chief said that they were sheltered across the street for about 30 minutes until the building could be ventilated and was determined to be safe to re-enter. 

The fire department extinguished the blaze within about 10 minutes. Pike indicated there was no damage to either the exterior or interior of the building and that there were no injuries to department personnel or others at the scene.

Three fire trucks and 12 fire department members responded to the call and were on scene for about 45 minutes.