A ceremonial tipi that has been standing beside the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment for the last six years was damaged on Monday night in what police are investigating as a possible arson case.
The tipi, that stands about 20 feet high, was a gift to the detachment from the neighbouring Beaver Lake Cree Nation community. RCMP officials are describing the tipi as a “proud symbol of the partnership established over the years between the Lac La Biche RCMP and members of the Indigenous communities they serve.”
RCMP working inside the detachment at 11:30 Monday night were alerted that the tipi was on fire by a resident passing the police station, which sits along a main Lac La Biche road. The same roadway houses the Lac La Biche County fire department and the headquarters for the municipality’s community peace officer program.
Alberta RCMP Corp. Lou Leroux said Mounties used fire extinguishers from the office to knock down the flames. Lac La Biche fire crews were also dispatched and assisted in putting out the fire and stopping flames from spreading to nearby wooded area, the RCMP building and adjoining parking and storage area.
Most of the tipi structure was destroyed by the flames.
Evidence found
An RCMP forensic team and fire investigators did collect evidence from the scene, said Leroux, but he could not give details on what the evidence was.
“Some evidence was left behind and will be examined by our forensics team … likely out of Edmonton. and hopefully we’ll be able to get some evidence to point us in the right direction,” he said, explaining that forensic investigations can take some time to complete. “Sometimes the forensics can take time, as they have to process things in different ways. But if we do manage to get any fingerprints, (they) have to be run through different systems, so it could be a while yet before we get anything determined.”
Leroux was asked if anyone could have been staying inside the tipi, or if the fire could have originated from the inside. He said that from the initial investigation and from photos taken at the scene, it didn’t appear that the structure had been occupied at the time of the fire.
“It didn’t appear that any debris or personal objects have been left behind inside the tent to suggest anyone had been staying in there,” he said.
While there are security cameras around the police building, Leroux said there is no video surveillance available from the area where the tipi had been standing.
RCMP are continuing to investigate the incident and are asking members of the public who may have witnessed suspicious activity on Monday night near the detachment on Beaver Hill Road to contact local police.
Officials with Lac La Biche County’s Regional Fire Services were contacted for comment on the fire but were not able to responded by the first editorial deadline of this article.
A request for comment was also sent to the Beaver Lake Cree Nation band council, but Chief Gary Lameman, council and senior administration were in meetings on Tuesday afternoon and not immediately available.