Port McNeill Mayor James Furney hopes those who lit the match on a waterfront landmark will atone for the act and become part of the town’s volunteer fire and rescue service.
The world’s largest preserved tree burl on the Port McNeill waterfront was set on fire Wednesday night.
Two individuals seen on security video carrying a jerry can near the burl shortly before it caught fire were quickly identified after RCMP released images of them. Police made two arrests on Thursday.
“In a small town, it didn’t take long for the circle to close. I think it closed on Facebook well before the RCMP closed it,” Furney said.
The two suspects are North Islanders in their early 20s and could now face charges of arson and mischief, said Furney, who hopes they will apologize “in a big way.”
“I’m a big believer in giving a young person another chance,” he said. “In my ideal world, we’ll have two new recruits out of these lads.”
The mayor said vandalism is extremely rare in the small logging town.
Volunteer firefighters fought the blaze through the night, eventually extinguishing it on Thursday morning. Furney said he is grateful for the Western Forest Products employees who pulled the burl away from the burning platform where it was once housed.
Post-fire photos show that large portions of the six metre-tall Sitka spruce burl were blackened by the fire. But Furney said the exterior is looking solid, as most of the damage to the burl was internal, where the fire burned the hottest.
“We’re hopeful that we’re able to re-erect it in that location and clean it up somewhat,” Furney said
The town has yet to decide whether it will provide funds to help with the restoration, since the burl hasn’t been assessed for damage. In the event that it’s determined to be unsalvageble, there’s a back-up plan. Another burl close by, a 20-tonne Sitka spruce burl and previous world-record holder, is on display just a few minutes away from Port McNeill.
“We did have an extra burl, just in case of emergencies,” Furney said with a laugh.
“We’re a well-stocked pantry — we got one more.”
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