Prince George RCMP ask for photos, video related to suspicious motel fire
3 bodies were found at the burnt Econo Lodge in the city's downtown
RCMP in Prince George are asking people with video or photos taken Wednesday morning near the downtown Econo Lodge to come forward.
Three people were found dead at the motel three hours after firefighters arrived to fight a major fire, which police have described as suspicious.
The B.C. Coroners Service is still working to determine the exact cause of the deaths. The victims' identities have not been released.
Motel guests who escaped the fire told CBC they did not hear any smoke or fire alarms going off. They said the sound of screams and smell of smoke alerted them to the fact that something was wrong.
Cpl. Craig Douglass said investigators will be looking into all aspects of the fire, including whether alarms were functioning.
"Anything that leads to criminality, we will be looking at," he said.
RCMP fire investigators and the B.C. Coroner Service are at the scene conducting parallel investigations and Ninth Avenue between Brunswick and Victoria streets remains closed.
Fire crews were called to the Econo Lodge around 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. Smoke and flames could be seen pouring out of at least three suites and one wing of the motel appeared to be heavily damaged.
Police are specifically interested in images that were captured within a two-block radius of the Econo Lodge between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, including dashcam or security video.
Anyone with material or information is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477.