Two people who died in an RV fire in the Pend d’Oreille last week were part of an encampment on Crown land where another fatal fire occurred less than a month earlier.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue chief Dan Derby said another person died on April 19 at the same site in an RV fire that was deemed accidental. He said he normally leaves it to RCMP or the BC Coroners Service to notify the media of a such a death, but neither of those agencies issued any information at the time and it has gone unreported until now. Police did issue a news release about the latest fire on May 12, but no information has been released on any of the victims, including names, ages, and genders.
Derby expressed condolences to the family and friends of those who died. He described the encampment, near the Seven Mile Dam, as “pretty entrenched,” although he said it was hard to estimate its size, because it goes into the forest. He also said it’s hard to tell how many people have been camping there, as the population is “dynamic.”
However, he said the “massive amount of combustibles” on site including tires and propane tanks is “very troubling” to him, especially with wildfire season underway. He said government agencies have been aware of the encampment’s existence for a couple of years. However, it has largely flown under the radar until the recent fires.
The area is 10 to 15 minutes outside cell range, which slows any response, Derby said, in addition to the distance from the closest fire halls in Fruitvale and Montrose.
“So in the event of a fire people need to drive a significant distance to get to cell service to call us,” he said. “Those things impact the severity of a fire.”
In the most recent fire, crews didn’t know anyone was inside the RV until they put it out. While firefighters have “strong theories” about the cause, Derby said due to the amount of damage, they may never be able to say definitively what happened. It is not considered suspicious.
Derby said while his department responds to fires on Crown land, they’re not responsible for enforcement. He said they hope to work with the BC Wildfire Service and other provincial government agencies.
In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said it’s aware of the encampment and is working with other government agencies, the RCMP, and the regional district to “assess the situation and determine next steps.”
When firefighters arrived last week, they found a few charred trees, but were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to the forest. Derby said many other trailers at the encampment are in or adjacent to the woods, further raising concerns.
The fatalities come amid record call volumes to the fire department. As of last week, there had been 1,006 calls in 2026, a 46 per cent increase over 2025. Many have been first-responder calls driven by what Derby called “socioeconmic issues.”
