Emergency personnel were called to Laidlaw on Dec. 3 after suspicious barrels were discovered at the east end of Hunter Creek Road.
When Hope Fire Department and Hope RCMP arrived on scene, there were 12 - 45 gallon drums, as well as two kegs, lying on the roadway. A small amount of liquid seeping from one of the containers appeared to be corrosive, so police cordoned off the area before contacting a hazardous waste contractor.
Hope RCMP remained at the site for hours until it was cleaned up and the containers were removed. Police said there wasn’t any environmental damage as there are no streams or culverts in the area.
“There’s no indication of what it could have been linked to,” said Staff Sgt. Bruce Anderson. “The unfortunate thing with things like this is you’re not going to get fingerprints due to the corrosive materials. There’s no video surveillance in the neighborhood, it’s unknown when the items were dropped, and there’s no suspect vehicles associated to it. So there’s no evidence at the scene to indicate a possible suspect.”
Hope RCMP reminds the public to keep their distance if they encounter sites like this and immediately contact police. To make a report to the Hope RCMP, call 604-869-7750 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) to remain anonymous.