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South Surrey resident captures Campbell Heights vehicle fire

Resident says street racing, stunt driving happen every weekend in industrial area
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A South Surrey resident who lives near Campbell Heights is fed up with street racing in his neighbourhood, after he says another incident early Saturday morning (May 11) caused firefighters and police to respond. (ProPics Canada Media Ltd. photo)

A South Surrey resident who lives near Campbell Heights is fed up with street racing in his neighbourhood, after he says another incident early Saturday morning (May 11) caused firefighters and police to respond.

An area that has attracted illegal street racers and stunt drivers for years, the industrial area is constantly inundated every weekend, said James Cousineau, who lives in a residential area bordering Campbell Heights, near 188 Street and 25 Avenue.

“As happens every Friday and Saturday night from about 11 p.m. to about 5 a.m., there’s street racing and stunt driving in the neighbourhood because we’re right on the border of the Campbell Heights industrial area,” he said Sunday (May 12).

“So every night – on Fridays and Saturdays (during) that time period, you hear nothing but screeching and the revving of engines, the backfiring, all that stuff. So when I heard the bangs (at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday), I thought it was just the backfiring – you know, the normal stuff.”

READ ALSO: Six cars impounded after street racing crackdown in Surrey’s Campbell Heights

“Two minutes later, I hear the emergency vehicles, and then I heard some explosions – it sounded like something blowing up, like a propane tank or something, so I decided I’ll hop in the car and drive up the street and see what’s going on.”

Cousineau could see a vehicle on fire, with lots of smoke coming from it as firefighters battled to put it out.

“It was hard to tell from my angle what vehicle it was – it was a large vehicle – the hood looked like it had blown from the driver’s side and up towards the passenger side… the fire department was still putting water on it when I arrived. From the distance I was at, I couldn’t tell if there was anybody in the vehicle,” he noted.

“It is very frustrating. You hear it all the time. There’s been accidents (before), it’s just a matter of time before someone loses a life.”

Surrey RCMP confirmed officers responded to a report of a vehicle fire in that area just before 3 a.m. Saturday.

While there was no evidence to suggest the vehicle was involved in street racing, there were used fireworks packages in the area, Surrey RCMP Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha noted in an email.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Sangha said Surrey RCMP Traffic Unit has increased patrols in the area to address the concerns of street racing, and “we will be monitoring any traffic violations very closely.”



Tricia Weel

About the Author: Tricia Weel

I’m a lifelong writer and storyteller, and have worked at community newspapers and magazines throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
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