National

Suspicious fire guts B.C. elementary school, plans underway for students and teachers

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Oct, 2023 10:16 AM

Plans are underway to bring school life back to normal as quickly as possible for students and teachers at a Metro Vancouver elementary school that was destroyed in a suspicious weekend fire.

Coquitlam School District 43 says in a statement to families on its website that plans are in the works to support continued learning for the school community at Hazel Trembath Elementary School in Port Coquitlam.

Coquitlam RCMP say they are investigating a suspicious fire at the school, which was fully engulfed when first responders arrived at the scene early Saturday.

Terrible news this morning of a fire at Hazel Trembath Elementary school in Port Coquitlam this morning. Thank you to firefighters for responding so quickly and ensuring the fire did not spread. We will support school district, parents and students through this difficult time. https://t.co/wrdOowXApD
— Rachna Singh (@RachnaSinghNDP) October 14, 2023

1/I’m absolutely devastated to see the images of Hazel Trembath gone. As a former student myself & the parent of a Grade 1 student there, I know what a special place Hazel is. This is heartbreaking.

I’ve spoken with our Fire Department, our School District & senior city staff. pic.twitter.com/KbP1dtJkng
— Brad West (@BradWestPoCo) October 14, 2023

The RCMP urged the public to avoid the area in and around the school due to potentially hazardous air quality caused by the fire, saying road closures near the school should be expected for several days as the investigation continues.

About 215 students attended Hazel Trembath Elementary School.

The school district statement said "this is very sad news for our students, staff, and school community."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Raccoon causes all-day recess for B.C. school

Students who weren't able to take the day off were bused to a local middle school. Conservation officers tried to get the raccoon to leave but it climbed up into the space above the ceiling tiles.

Raccoon causes all-day recess for B.C. school

VPD arrests suspect in Chinatown senior assault

Henry Paul Wiens, 52, was arrested early Saturday morning by VPD officers working in the downtown core. Wiens had been wanted since February 15 for the alleged assault of a 93-year-old man who was knocked to the ground on Main Street on October 11.

VPD arrests suspect in Chinatown senior assault

Canada banning TikTok on government-issued phones

A statement from Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the application will be removed from mobile devices on Tuesday. The decision follows a review by the chief information officer of Canada, who determined that TikTok "presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."

Canada banning TikTok on government-issued phones

Canada-China trade record as imports hit $100B

Economists and others say businesses are looking beyond political tensions between the two countries, as demand ramps up and established supply chains reassert themselves in a post-pandemic world.

Canada-China trade record as imports hit $100B

Republicans shift gaze toward Canada-U.S. border

Rep. Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke are launching a new congressional caucus focused on immigration, crime and national security at the Canada-U.S. border. The "Northern Border Security Caucus," to be officially announced Tuesday, is being billed as bipartisan, although it's unclear if any of its 28 members are Democrats.

Republicans shift gaze toward Canada-U.S. border

More southern B.C. snow coming after weekend storm

The weather office says 10 to 15 centimetres could cover those areas by Tuesday morning and much of the inner south coast could see a dusting at the same time. Most models call for two to three centimetres from Squamish to Chilliwack, but higher elevations of North and West Vancouver could see eight to 10 centimetres.