Provincial authorities are investigating 19 summer arsons during the past eight years in Halfmoon Bay. The most recent fire occurred on the afternoon of May 13, according to Cpl. Erich Heins of the RCMP's provincial Forest Crime Investigation Unit. The fire, which involved debris, was approximately 900 metres from Hwy. 101 near Trout Lake. The Halfmoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department and the B.C. Forest Service attended the fire after a 911 caller reported it, Heins said. The RCMP forest crime unit learned of the fire from the forest service.The Sunshine Coast RCMP were not called about the latest fire, Staff Sgt. Brad Zalys said in an interview Wednesday.Zalys explained the forest crimes unit at the RCMP provincial headquarters is investigating the fires."It happened in our area, but because they have the contacts and the expertise in that, they're the ones that are doing it," Zalys said. "We've assisted in it. It's in essence a Sunshine Coast investigation, but it's being handled out of headquarters."According to a Forest Crime Investigation Unit release, an April 30, 2004 fire near Trout Lake spread 1.2 hectares. The largest fire during the eight years, spreading over 12 hectares near Trout Lake, occurred Aug. 30, 1998, the release states. Both times, a stump was lit on fire on Crown land. Investigators determined the fires were intentionally set after looking for any other possible causes and sources of fire in the surrounding area, Heins explained. He called the fires "very unusual" compared to other forested areas in the province and described the Halfmoon Bay area as an "anomaly" on the Sunshine Coast. He noted that although the investigation is only going back to 1998, there were numerous fires before that time over five or six years in Halfmoon Bay.The RCMP forest crime unit became involved a year and half to two years ago and are now really getting going on the investigation, he said.The Ministry of Forests' protection branch and the RCMP Forest Crime Investigation Unit, with the assistance of the Sunshine Coast RCMP, continue to investigate the suspicious fires, classified as a high priority file. Although the fires caused minimal damage, there was potential for enormous destruction if the response times had been held while firefighters dealth with other fires, the release states.Anyone with information on the fires is asked to call the RCMP Forest Crime Investigation Unit at 1-604-543-4806, the Sunshine Coast RCMP at 604-885-2266 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-TIPS.
