Grand Forks
Gazette
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
VOL 115 NO. 35
❚ Let’s play ball!
page 17 2012 GFI baseball tourney upon us.
❚ CHRISTINA LAKE
Suspicious fire destroys Piche house KARL YU Gazette Editor
A fire on the afternoon of Aug. 27 at Christina Lake destroyed the residence of Allen Piche, a.k.a. The Bear Dude. The Christina Lake Fire Department responded to a call at the Fife Road/Haaglund Road area shortly before 5 p.m. and upon arriving at Piche’s residence, saw his house fully engulfed in flame. The fire department said that the fire spread to four adjoining structures, destroyed all buildings and also spread into the forest area. “Crews fought the fire for five hours and with the help of water bombers out of Castlegar and water helicopter drops, both for over 30 minutes each, we were able to contain the fire and prevent the spread to other residences in the area,” Christina Lake Fire Chief Ken Gresley-Jones said in a release. Grand Forks RCMP’s Staff Sgt. Jim Harrison told The Gazette that the fire was contained at around 9:30 p.m. “Fire crews contained the fire and limited the damage to the immediate vicinity of the residence and the outbuildings,” Harrison said. There is no word on the cause of the fire, although it is believed to have started in the house and is said to be suspicious. Along with the aerial support, the Christina Lake department was joined by B.C. Forest Service Firefighters
A water bomber from Castlegar helps battle a blaze in the Haaglund Road/Fife Road area of Christina Lake on Aug. 27. BUD ALCOCK PHOTO
with assistance from Grand Forks Fire Rescue. The BC Ambulance Service was also on the scene. The Christina Lake department said that personnel from B.C. Forestry was on site overnight and a crew came in on Aug. 28 to ensure the area was safe. The incident is still under investigation by the Office of the Fire Commissioner and the Kootenay Boundary RCMP regional detachment; there were no injuries sus-
tained and no one was on site at the time of the fire. Piche is awaiting sentencing for the production of controlled substances and possession for purposes of trafficking. He was in court for remand on July 17 and a decision is set for Sept. 10. Piche also pleaded guilty to feeding bears early in 2011 and could not be reached for comment. – With files from Cassandra Chin
Gonna fly now Bill Relkov with his blue Skybolt at Grand Forks Airport on Aug. 26 as part of Grand Forks Flying Association COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) Flight 62’s Airport Appreciation Fly-in and Show and Shine event. The opening ceremony took place at 10 a.m. and there were remote control plane demonstrations. Also, Market Avenue was closed off and turned into a pedestrian mall and there was shuttle bus service to the airport. More pictures on page 9. CASSANDRA CHIN PHOTO
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