Arson is suspected in a barn fire early Wednesday morning that destroyed two sheds full of hay worth more than $1 million.
The sheds are on a ranch on Bearhead Road owned by Karen and John Kochel, about 24 kilometres west of Vanderhoof.
The fire was reported by a neighbour of the Kochels at about 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
John Kochel told CBC News they were able to set up sprinklers in the area around the sheds to keep the fire from spreading and becoming a wildfire.
He said is family has farmed the area for generations and he has no idea what might have motivated someone to purposely light his supply of feed for his cattle on fire. He also said he might have to sell some of his herd because of the shortage of available hay.
“The sad part is there's that kind of animosity out there that would cause somebody to do that,” he said. “Vanderhoof is a pretty tight-knit community.”
“I feel helpless.”
Two hours before the fire, a suspect was spotted leaving the scene in a 1980s vintage Ford F-150 pickup. The truck was gray with blue stripes and has a red fuel storage tank behind the cab. It was last seen heading west on Telegraph Road at a high rate of speed.
Vanderhoof RCMP are asking the public for help and if anyone spots a vehicle that matches the description to write down the license plate number and call police.
Due to the severe drought that has stunted crops over much of British Columbia, the price of hay has more than doubled over last year’s prices, spiked by the demand from farmers and ranchers who need hay to feed their livestock through the winter months.
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