Wembley Fire Chief Matt Smith says the local arena, which was subject to a fire Wednesday afternoon, will remain closed to the public for an undetermined amount of time.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. first responders were notified about a structure fire behind the arena which heavily damaged a nearby storage shed. When crews arrived on scene there was a shed behind the building that was fully involved, which extended into the arena itself.
“The building that was involved in [the] fire was probably less than 15 feet from the ice plant which does cause concerns for firefighters.”
Fire officials confirm they have evidence suggesting circumstances surrounding the fire are suspicious in nature and residents are being asked to report any potentially suspicious activity in the area to Beaverlodge RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
“So currently between the county fire marshall, the provincial fire investigator, myself and the RCMP, there is an ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire,” says Smith.
In addition to the damage to the storage shed, smoke, water and fire damage to the inside of the arena have been confirmed.