Red Bridge destroyed by fire: police investigating

Tk’emlúps Rural, Kamloops City

2024-09-19 08:50 PDT

File # 2024-31206

Kamloops RCMP officers remain on scene at the Red Bridge, where a second fire in less than two days has sadly resulted in its destruction.

On Thursday Sept. 19, 2024, around 3:25 a.m., Kamloops RCMP Detachment and Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP Detachment frontline officers were called to assist Kamloops Fire and Rescue at the Red Bridge, which was fully engulfed by flames. While fire responders battled the blaze, the bridge collapsed and was sadly completely destroyed.

We are treating the incident as suspicious and note that this is the second fire to occur at the bridge in as many days, said Superintendent Jeff Pelley, the Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Officer in Charge. We are and will continue to work closely with our fire investigators and KFR partners to establish how the fire began and if criminality was involved. We’re asking residents who may have been in the area at the time to please reach out to police if they saw anything suspicious, and to please check their security and dash camera footage to see if anything was captured that could be related to this incident.

The public is asked to please avoid the area as firefighters continue to battle the fire and burning debris.

The City of Kamloops has also issued an advisory to alert residents of several closures in effect as a result of the fire, due to the risk of floating debris.

The current closures include all City boat launches (Pioneer Park, Valleyview, and McArthur Island Park), Pioneer Park, Rivers Trail between Pioneer Park and Riverside Park, and Riverside Park pier. The city is also asking the public to please stay out of the South Thompson and Thompson Rivers at or west of the Red Bridge and to stay back from the river’s edge.

Please watch for City of Kamloops updates related to the closures.

Traffic delays in and around the area are expected.

Anyone who witnessed, has video, or information related to this or Tuesday’s fire investigation, which is ongoing, is asked to please contact the Kamloops RCMP Detachment at 250-828-3000 and reference file 2024-31206.

Released by:

Email: crystal.evelyn@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: kamloops.rcmp.ca

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