Stolen firefighting equipment recovered in Kamloops

Police in Kamloops say thousands of dollars worth of firefighting equipment has been recovered following a string of recent thefts.

The Kamloops RCMP says there were three reports between Monday and Tuesday of equipment involved in ongoing wildfire fighting efforts being stolen. Police say all three files were from the same area, and involved the same suspect vehicle — a black truck.

Corp. Crystal Evelyn says an arrest was made after the third report.

“There was a youth that was known to police who was arrested for possession of stolen property, and two males allegedly fled on foot before officers arrived,” she told CityNews on Wednesday.

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Evelyn says around $10,000 worth of equipment was recovered, including a medic bag, a defibrillator, and firefighting gear.

“The items stolen were directly related to those local firefighter responses,” she said, adding a black truck that had been reported stolen was also recovered. Two suspects remain at large, she added.

These thefts come as the Rossmoore Lake wildfire continues to burn out of control about 10 kilometres south of Kamloops. Evelyn says the actions are concerning.

“Especially when we know the efforts that are going on out there to try to protect us in some environments that are very dangerous and very volatile. This kind of stuff is just senseless,” she said.

Earlier in the week, the B.C. government condemned reports of firefighting equipment being stolen or tampered with, saying it can have a detrimental effect on efforts.

The Kamloops RCMP says it is still investigating the recent thefts, and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

With files from Raynaldo Suarez and Hana Mae Nassar