THE WEDNESDAY
JUNE 1, 2011
2010 WINNER
www.tricitynews.com
TRI-CITY NEWS Multiplying good works
Concerts and Cuba
SEE LIFE, PAGE 16
SEE ARTS, PAGE 26
INSIDE Tom Fletcher/10 Letters/11 A Good Read/18 Sports/30
JAMES MACLENNAN/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
The garage of an abandoned building on Kelly Avenue in Port Coquitlam after a fire burned it down over the weekend.
Fire bug in PoCo? Series of fires over the weekend in Port Coquitlam may have been deliberately set By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Port Coquitlam emergency officials fear a fire bug could be on the loose after a string of suspicious blazes broke out at abandoned homes across the city on the weekend. PoCo Fire and Emergency Services’ acting chief, Terry Hochstetter, said the close proximity and the short time between the incidents has led investigators to believe the fires were deliberately set. “It leads us to suspect that we could have a problem here,” he said. “It looks like someone targeted these homes.” The first incident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday on Dominion Avenue at the notorious Pickton property. When fire crews broke the gate of the fenced-off lot, they found two unoccupied 45-foot trailers engulfed in flames. Crews were just finishing mopping up that mess when a second call came in shortly after midnight. Firefighters rushed to an abandoned home on Kelly Avenue where a detached garage, known to neighbours as a hangout for homeless people, was ablaze. see MULTIPLE BLAZES, BLAZES, page 3
JAMES MACLENNAN/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Fun in the sun Sunday for PoCo Polish festival Asia Machaj wears a Goralski costume while sharing a laugh with her dance partners before hitting the stage during Polish Culture and Heritage Day held Sunday at Port Coquitlam’s Leigh Square and the adjacent Elks Hall. The annual event, hosted by the Polonez Tri-City Association, ran all afternoon and featured music and food flying under the Polish flag.
CUP FEVE The Tri-Cities are gettin ng in on the excitement ovver the Vancouver Canuckss’ Stanley Cup run with public viewing events. For details of local events, see page 3.