Public's help sought in investigation of fire near Thunder Bay

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is trying to unravel the events leading up to a forest fire which burned part of an island on Swallow Lake, west of Thunder Bay, Ont. on the weekend of May 23 - 24. 

The Ministry is confident the fire was human-caused, said Rick LeBlanc, a MNRF conservation officer based in Thunder Bay. He said he's hopeful that someone who was at the lake that day may be able to shed some light on what happened. 

"There may be an excuse for what happened, there may be an explanation as to why this fire happened, and I'd love to discover that," LeBlanc said.

In particular, LeBlanc said he is interested in anyone who saw a white, four-door, short-box, Chevy pickup truck, hauling a red boat. 

This is an unusual forest fire investigation, noted LeBlanc, because there are so many potential witnesses. Dozens of people were at the lake that weekend, drawn by the warm weather. 

"Consequently I have the luxury of talking to a lot of people," LeBlanc said. "There may be witnesses that I don't know about and that's the purpose of us reaching out."

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the MNRF tips line at 1-877-847-7667, or the ministry's Thunder Bay district office during regular business hours at 807-475-1471. 

They can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).