The house at the centre of Tuesday’s house fire which sealed off parts of No. 1 Road has been cordoned off by police.
Neighbours of the property in the 8000-block of No. 1 Road, between Blundell and Francis roads, sent pictures to the Richmond News on Thursday of a 24-hour police presence and police tape at the front and rear.
They also say they’ve witnessed a private security firm watching the house, which appears to be burned out following the blaze.
However, Richmond RCMP told the News that there’s no information suggesting anything out of the ordinary at this point.
They added that the fire was too hot for investigators to look into, even after the fire was put out.
And if the scene is not secured, as per the police vehicles and tape, then any evidence may be lost or people may loot the remains.
The News reported on Tuesday how smoke began billowing from the property, between Blundell and Francis roads, at around midday.
By 2:20 p.m., local resident Arnold Cheng said the fire was still going and the roof had just collapsed.
A crew from Richmond Fire-Rescue was on the scene quickly, however it’s understood there may have been challenges in attacking the blaze due to a hoarding issue inside.
Some neighbours have a differing opinion, suggesting on social media that the occupants had a bad reputation and were frequently in contact with the RCMP.
There were no reported injuries from the fire, according to the city.
Cheng told the News that the property in flames was the same one where an explosive device detonated Jan. 31, 2018.
At the time, Richmond RCMP told the News that the damage to the property was “consistent with the detonation of an improvised explosive device.”
No one was reportedly injured from the explosion and the occupants of the home in question cooperated with police.
