The fire commissioner's office and RCMP are investigating a trailer fire that may have claimed the life of its occupant in the late afternoon of Monday, March 18.
The fire occurred in a parking area 10 kilometres up the Callaghan Forest Service Road, and was called in at roughly 6:30 p.m. It was noticed by others in the area, but the trailer was already engulfed in flames by the time they reached the site.
Garibaldi Fire attended with resources borrowed from Whistler Fire Services as well as investigators from the police, B.C. Coroner's Service and the Office of the Fire Commissioner after human remains were found in the trailer.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the identity of the victim has not been released. The police don't believe the fire is suspicious at this point, and may have been accidental.
Police warn of antivirus phone scam
The Whistler and Pemberton RCMP issued a public warning after several homes in both communities have been targeted by a phone scam that offers to install antivirus software on your computer. According to the RCMP the callers are very aggressive.
It's one of the two most reported scams in Canada these days, and RCMP warn that the scammers will not only take your money for antivirus software you don't need, but may be using their software to steal personal information or install programs to spy on people.
Drivers stopped for speeding, impairment
The RCMP took at least three offending drivers off the road this week, including an impaired driver that was involved in a collision with another vehicle.
At roughly 9:30 p.m. on March 12, a police vehicle heading southbound on Highway 99 past Alta Vista clocked a northbound vehicle travelling 111km/h in a 60km/h zone — almost twice the legal speed limit. The RCMP handed out a ticket for excessive speeding to a 20-year-old from Brackendale, impounding the vehicle for seven days.
At 10:50 p.m. the same evening the police were called to a collision on Highway 99 at Lorimer Road. When the police attended they talked to a driver who produced a valid Ontario driver's license. The driver failed his roadside tests. Two additional tests at RCMP headquarters revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.130 and 0.140 per cent. The driver will be charged for impaired driving and other offences related to the accident.
On March 15 just after midnight a police patrol noticed a vehicle driving erratically in the day lots and on to the walkway at Lorimer Road and Blackcomb Way. The police stopped the vehicle and asked to perform a roadside breathalyzer test, which the occupant of the vehicle, a 62-year-old woman from Richmond, refused. She became aggressive to police and was arrested for public intoxication and held in cells until sober. She was also handed a 90-day driving prohibition and her vehicle impounded for 30 days.
On March 16 just before 1 a.m., another police patrol observed a vehicle ignore a stop sign, signal left and then turn right onto Blackcomb Way before briefly straddling the centre line. When the police pulled the vehicle over the driver ended up with his rear wheel on the curb. A 29-year-old Williams Lake male failed his roadside test and was given a 30-day driving prohibition and a 90-day vehicle impound.
The police also issued one three-day suspension and three-day impound for a "warn" reading between 0.06 and 0.08 per cent blood alcohol volume, and two 24-hour suspensions for drivers between the 0.05 and 0.059 range.
Police investigating break and enter
Whistler RCMP is investigating a break-and-enter to a hotel room between 1:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on March 14. According to the report, the thief took two laptops and chargers, two cameras, a voice recorder and a box of business cards from the guests staying in the room. There was no sign of forced entry.
The police are reviewing security camera footage and access logs for the door lock to try and identify the culprits.
If you have any information, contact the Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
