Suspicious fire destroys historic New Brunswick lighthouse, RCMP investigating

The RCMP in New Brunswick is investigating a suspicious fire that destroyed a lighthouse in Cape Tormentine.

Sackville RCMP and members with the Bayfield Fire Department responded to a fire at the historic lighthouse, known as Indian Point Lighthouse, off Highway 960 near Vista Dive around 11 a.m. Thursday.

According to police, the lighthouse had been loaded onto a large trailer and was ready to be moved to another location. The lighthouse and trailer were both destroyed by the fire.

The RCMP says the province's fire marshal was consulted, but did not attend the scene.

The fire has been deemed suspicious and police are investigating the cause. 

Anyone with information about the fire, or who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area Thursday morning, is asked to contact the Sackville RCMP at 506-364-5023 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

COMMUNITY SADDENED BY LOSS

The timing of the fire couldn't have been worse for the community, with it happening just days before the lighthouse was supposed to be moved to its new home at Cape Tormentine Beach Campground.

According to the Cape Tormentine Development Corporation, the lighthouse needed to be moved because the coastline it stood on since 1955 is eroding.

The corporation had plans to transfer the lighthouse this Saturday by a horse pulled carriage as part of a community celebration to preserve it.

"It meant a lot to the community because a lot of the people of our age group right now grew up here and grew up with that lighthouse and have a lot of memories. It's very hard," said Dorothy Kean, the president of the Cape Tormentine Development Corporation.

"I was shocked, completely shocked," said Barry Dean, a resident of Cape Tormentine. "I didn't even think that could happen. I had no idea that that could actually happen, that somebody could go that low."

The beach community's population dwindled around the early 1990s when the Prince Edward Island ferry stopped making runs in that area after the Confederation Bridge was built.

Many things changed, but some things stayed the same, including the lighthouse – making its loss even harder to take for some.

"This community basically died since CN shut down the ferry service," said Dean. "The corporation has been trying to bring some life back to the community."

Although members of the corporation and community are saddened by the loss, Saturday's event will still go ahead as planned.

The event, originally called "A Beacon to the Past – A Lighthouse warming party," will continue with speeches, music and food.

"We were so lucky and so proud of the fact we received the lighthouse from DFO," said Kean. "It was really something the community could look forward to. Unfortunately, for us, something happened."

The plan now is to build a replica lighthouse in the village's campground to go with the one on the Old Ferry Road and the large lighthouse on the wharf, which is badly in need of repair.