Arson the cause, suspect arrested in Sunday CN Roundhouse fire

Update: Statement from Prince Rupert RCMP on waterfront fire case file


Prince Rupert RCMP have made an arrest in relation to a large Sunday afternoon fire on the Prince Rupert Waterfront which consumed the old CN Rail Roundhouse building, a structure most recently used mainly for storage.

The Fire which attracted a large crowd along a lengthy stretch of First Avenue West began in the late afternoon and kept Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue personnel on the site late into the night.

However their work for the most part quickly became a containment operation,  as winds whipped the flames along the structure fairly quickly, in the end leaving nothing left but rubble to be cleared.

Fire destroyed another historical landmark in Prince Rupert, with
the old CN Roundhouse building now reduced to rubble

While the RCMP has not posted their statement to their website as of yet, CBC Radio/TV posted a story to their website this morning which notes of the arrest of one person in relation to the blaze, with a young male remaining in custody following the Sunday incident.

In the CBC Story, Corporal Devon Gerrits of the Prince Rupert RCMP provided the key element towards the investigation at this point.

Cpl. Devon Gerrits said the incident isn't believed to be related to recent protests at CN Rail sites across the country, some of which have involved small fires. 

"No real motivation as of yet," Cpl. Gerrits said Monday morning.

The waterfront fire has generated significant discussion on social media, featuring contributions from both local residents and those from other parts of British Columbia and Canada.

For a look at our notes from the Sunday fire see our article here.

A wider overview of the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest can be found from our archive page here.