RCMP look into three school fires
Blacklock Elementary has seen two fires in a week, but damage has been slight.
Matthew Claxton, Langley Advance [British Columbia]
Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Blacklock Elementary has been the target of apparent arson twice in the past week, with a dumpster and a portable classroom set afire by unknown vandals.
Just before midnight on Sunday, firefighters were called to the school again after a passerby spotted a fire, said City fire chief Bruce Dundas.
Dundas said the outer wall of a portable had been torched. The firefighters managed to contain the damage to the exterior siding and a wooden ramp.
According to school district spokesperson Craig Spence, the damage wasn’t significant enough to disrupt classes at Blacklock on Monday.
“Incidents do occur,” said Spence.
Maintenance crews have not yet assessed the damage to the building fully. Once they do that over the next few days, the district will make an insurance claim.
The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, but the RCMP is investigating, said Dundas.
The fire at Blacklock was the second in less than a week.
On June 12 at 11:20 p.m., City firefighters were called to Blacklock, located at 51B Avenue and 207th Street, to put out a fire in a large garbage bin. There was no damage to the school, said Dundas.
That same night, just an hour earlier, firefighters had also dealt with a construction bin on fire at Simonds Elementary, located in the 20100 block of 48th Ave.
Both of those fires were also investigated by the RCMP. No arrests have been announced.
Spence noted security guards make routine patrols of all district schools.
Last year, Phil Lacasse of Integra Security noticed an arson fire burning inside Peterson Road Elementary and contained the flames with fire extinguishers. He was honoured for his bravery by the board of education.
Police are asking anyone who knows about the latest spate of fires to call the RCMP at [number removed] or CrimeStoppers at [number removed].
Confrontation 
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