Dozens of people gathered in Polson Park early Tuesday morning to watch as a 100-year-old piece of Vernon’s history was consumed by flames.The grandstand that had played host to royal visits, the B.C. Summer Games and other major civic events since 1910, was allegedly destroyed by arson.Firefighters are calling the fire suspicious and the police are appealing to the public for tips to track down any suspects.“We’ve got unconfirmed reports that they’ve seen some young ladies down there and one of them had a gas can,”
said Vernon fire chief John Lysholm.There were a number of smaller explosions as the fire consumed propane tanks and other fuel drums that had been stored beneath the grandstand. Vernon resident Raja Lee said he was taking pictures when one of the explosions pushed him backward.“There were some small little cracks but there was one big one,” he said. “It wasn’t so much you could hear it, you could feel it; it shook your skin.”When firefighters arrived around 1:30 a.m. Lysholm said they focused their attention on protecting the park’s many older trees as the grandstand was already beyond saving. Despite their efforts six trees will have to be taken down.“It was pretty wild for the first 10 minutes,” he said. “Immediately, the electrical wires came down and they were burning on the grass.”Smoke from the fire billowed to the east toward Highway 6 where a grass fire was sparked on the hill nearby. Lysholm said that the Tim Horton’s across the highway was filled with fumes from the fire and one employee had to be treated for smoke inhalation.The grandstand fire was the culmination of a busy few days for firefighters at the park. Lysholm said earlier in the week crews responded to an outhouse that had been set on fire and had heard reports of a young male lighting a garbage can on fire. He said that with so much fire activity near the aging structure, its destruction seemed inevitable.“I’m not so sure it wasn’t a matter of if, so much as a matter of when,” he said. Lee said he saw the fire from a distance and decided to get a closer look. Although there was only a handful of people watching at first, Lee said the crowd soon swelled to more than 100 bystanders.“I could see it from about three kilometres away. I could see smoke and light,” he said. “Then I realized it was Polson Park and I pulled over my car and thought, ‘oh my God the bleachers.’”Lee said the fire seemed to start at the north end of the structure but within five minutes the entire building was ablaze consuming the tin roof and dry cedar shingles.“It was extremely hot,” he said. “I got within 60 feet and couldn’t get any closer because it was just unbearable.”There are no immediate plans to rebuild the bleachers and Greater Vernon Services parks manager Al McNiven said that a review of the park’s long-time plan will have to be done. He said the grandstand was insured for fire damage.“It did not get used a lot, certainly not anywhere near to capacity,” he said. “Any actions taken should fit into the long-term plan for the park.”In losing the structure, the city lost a rare form of early 20th century architecture said Vernon museum archivist Barbara Bell. The cedar shingles that led to its rapid destruction were some of its most distinctive heritage features.“It was a unique structure,” she said. “It was typical of the era but it is one of the few examples left in the Okanagan.”Throughout the city’s history the grandstand was at the centre of major events including May Day celebrations and received many famous visitors including Queen Elizabeth, Bell said. One historical document said the grandstand was as important to the park as the courthouse is to the aesthetics of downtown Vernon, she added.“It certainly was an important part of the city’s heritage,” she said. “It was a focal point for the park.”
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