Cause of fire that destroyed Port Coquitlam school could take 'months' to determine, RCMP say

Investigators have collected hundreds of hours of surveillance video and hundreds of witness statements in connection to the fire that destroyed an elementary school in Port Coquitlam earlier this month, but they still don't know what caused the blaze.

"The cause of the fire is still under investigation and will take several months to determine," said Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alexa Hodgins at a news conference in front of the charred remains of Hazel Trembath Elementary School Thursday morning.

Police were called to the school on Confederation Drive around 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 14. By that time, the building was already fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters spent the next several days mopping up hotspots and flare-ups, and once they were finished, it took police "an additional several days" to complete their initial assessment of the scene, Hodgins said.

"The area was expansive and the evidence was extensive," she said.

Despite the volume of evidence collected so far, police are still looking for more information, according Insp. Darren Carr, operations support officer for the detachment.

"Investigations such as these tend to be solved when the community comes together. We need as much information as possible," Carr said.

Asked whether any of the tips or information received so far had proved fruitful, the inspector said he didn't want to share any details that could compromise the investigation.

"It really wouldn't be appropriate for me to say that we've had tips that have been fruitful or haven't been fruitful," Carr said. "As I said, please keep bringing the information forward and we'll assess it. If it doesn't amount to anything, then so be it."

On the day the fire broke out, police said they believed it was suspicious. Pressed Thursday to say whether that's still the case, Carr said it was.

"We're assuming the worst," he said. "We are still deeming that it's suspicious, and as we said earlier, it will take some time – possibly even months – before we have definitive answers, but we are certainly working towards those answers."

'A TRAGIC LOSS' AND A PLAN TO REBUILD

Patricia Garland – the superintendent of School District 43, which serves the Tri-Cities and the villages of Anmore and Belcarra – also spoke at the news conference Thursday.

Garland called the fire "a tragic loss" for the district, but one that grew into "a heartwarming story" of the community coming together to support the school's students and staff.

She said district maintenance staff worked "all day and all night" to prepare another district facility to temporarily replace Hazel Trembath.

"In eight days flat, we turned our Winslow Resource Centre – which is a professional development centre – into an elementary school," Garland said, adding that other elementary schools in the district provided classroom furniture and school supplies to help with the transition.

Other supplies were purchased using some of the more than $70,000 that has been donated to the SD43 Education Foundation by community members since the fire, according to the superintendent.

Garland said the appeal for donations has raised more money than was needed to support the immediate transition to the new facility, adding that all remaining funds will be used for Hazel Trembath over time. She called the funding "a great resource" for the school's future.

Hazel Trembath's 215 students only missed four days of school instruction as a result of the fire, Garland said, adding that planning is already underway for the construction of a replacement school.

"We anticipate that the children will attend Winslow Centre now, as long as is needed," she said. "We've really transformed it into an elementary school."

Asked how long it would take before a new school could be built, Garland said the district has a reputation for building quickly, and is pushing the province to expedite the process for Hazel Trembath as much as possible.

"A normal timeline would probably be three years, so anything sooner than that would be an expedited timeline," she said. "We're hoping we can get the plans all approved in about nine months."