Olds Fire Department has teamed up with Olds RCMP to investigate a series of fires that have been set around Olds recently in residential, commercial, and public areas of Olds.
Fire Chief Lorne Thompson said the Olds Fire Department has responded to multiple calls of fires burning in commercial recycling dumpsters, residential rollout bins, and park garbage cans and benches across Olds which began the evening of Sept. 12.
“We're looking closely into all of those fires,” said Thompson. “When we get a deliberately set fire like that – it doesn't matter when or where – we always look into it.”
“We look to see if there is any relationship between them.”
Olds RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Morton said last week there were two groups of people who were out at night either lighting fires or car prowling.
“There is a growing number of people who are wandering the streets at night to take advantage of the opportunity to light fires, prowl cars and steal stuff,” said Morton, adding police believe it is being done by more than one person and in two separate groups, one for the fires and the other committing the prowlings.
Morton said the detachment received in a recent weeklong period at least one complaint a day or night of fires that had been lit on park benches or dumpsters.
Morton said an unspecified type of fuel was used to ignite the fires in the incidents that were reported to RCMP.
He did not include others fires that may have been reported only to the fire department.
According to Thompson, a total of seven fires have been set since (and including) the first one set Sept. 12 on the east side of Olds.
This includes two commercial cardboard bins, one commercial rubbish bin, two residential rollout black bins, and two garbage cans and the park benches adjacent to them in Hartman Green behind Olds Elementary School that have been lit on fire.
Thompson said so far, the fires have been set in either recycling bins or refuse containers, though they are currently unable to determine whether the park benches or garbage cans in Hartman Green were lit individually, or if one caused the other to burn.
Most of the materials that have been torched have been recyclable materials, both in commercial recycling bins and in residential waste bins, he noted.
It becomes difficult to prevent these sorts of fires from happening when the bins are designed to be receptacles for refuse, which is often combustible, but Thompson said that residents can attempt to minimize the flammability of their trash by ensuring any combustibles are properly recycled or disposed of.
“If you're taking papers, newspapers, and plastics to the recycling centre, that will limit the amount of trash in your rollout that has the potential to be ignited,” he said. “But people should do that anyways because it's good for the environment.”
He added: “It's not like you can – or should – limit the amount of waste in your bins by keeping it in your house until garbage day or anything like that.”
The Olds Fire Department is asking that any suspicious activity be reported to the Olds RCMP detachment.
“If you see people hanging out in an alley, or find leaves or other small items burned on the ground, report it to the police right away. It could make a difference for our investigation,” Thompson said.
“We take this very seriously. We don't want it to go any further.”
He said he could not comment about the arsonists' possible use of an accelerant to ignite or sustain the burn of the items in the bins.
“With the rollouts, it wouldn't be required because there are combustibles in there. Accelerants are typically used when one wants to ensure a fire. If you have a garbage can full of paper, it's going to burn – you just need a match.”
Regarding the car prowlings, Morton said the culprits are stealing a wide variety of items, from loose change, to hundreds of dollars, wallets, and jewelry.
“It is stunning what people will leave in their cars,” he said.
However, Morton added that citizens are starting to respond quickly to any incident they see that looks suspicious.
