RCMP investigate fire, break-in at Betula Lake

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This article was published 22/09/2023 (1052 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RCMP are investigating after a cabin in Whiteshell Provincial Park burned to the ground and a neighbouring cottage was ransacked during a break-in.

Officers were called to the scene of the fire on the shore of Betula Lake, located about 130 kilometres east of Winnipeg, at about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, said police spokeswoman Tara Seel.

“When officers arrived on scene, the cabin had burned to the ground and it was determined the cabin next door to it was broken into and had property damage inside,” Seel wrote in an email to the Free Press. “It does not appear that anyone was physically injured in relation to this fire.”

The Office of the Fire Commissioner visited the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze. RCMP have not released any details about the suspected cause.

Seel confirmed officers executed a search warrant at a nearby camp Thursday in connection with the investigation. No one had been arrested or charged as of Friday morning.

An owner of the cabin that was destroyed by fire declined to comment.

Owners of other cabins told the Free Press they were aware of the fire and break-in, but they had not seen the damage in person or they did not have details because they had not visited Betula Lake since the season wrapped up earlier this month.

The incidents happened at a time when fewer people are around, they noted. Pictures of the razed cabin were shared in a Facebook group for Betula Lake residents.

Before declining to be interviewed, two owners said the two-storey cottage that burned to the ground was newer and one of the nicest and most expensive cabins on the lake.

Exact numbers were not available, but Seel said anecdotal evidence suggests the number of cabin break-ins reported to the local RCMP detachment had decreased this year. The area has a volunteer-run Citizens on Patrol program, which continues patrols during the off-season and works closely with police.

Betula Lake cottage owner Gaeline Delmarque said neighbours look out for each other in and out of season.

Break-ins or thefts have occurred during past off-seasons. The potential for burglaries, vandalism or other issues at cabins that are closed up for the winter is a concern for Delmarque and other seasonal residents.

“There’s always a worry in the back of your mind,” said Delmarque.

Anyone with information about the fire or the property damage to the Betula Lake cabins is asked to call Lac du Bonnet RCMP at 204-345-6311.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching