| posted on April 20, 2017
ALBANY detectives are treating a fire that destroyed a prime mover in an Albany freight yard on Sunday as suspicious.
The 2012 model Mack truck was parked near a stack of wooden pallets at the rear of Camtrans Albany on Graham Street, where it caught on fire.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) were called to the property at about 7.15pm.
It took crews half-an-hour to contain the blaze.
Forensic officers have examined the scene and are appealing for anyone who was in the area around the time of the fire or who saw anything suspicious to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to make a report online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au.
Det Snr Sgt Mark Emmett said initial investigations had lead police to believe the fire was deliberately lit.
“The suspicion comes from the fact that it was a locked premises,” he said.
“The truck was locked. The pallets can’t be put on fire by themselves.
“There has to be something put to it.
“We think there are people who can probably help us.
“They might have seen the initial flash, or the fire in its early stage.
“They’re the people we’d like to contact us.”
Camtrans’ co-owner Geoff West praised the response of firefighters in containing the fire and was working with investigators.
He said while the truck was insured, it was the cost of the downtime with the truck off the road that also affected his business.
The prime mover’s replacement value is approximately $400,000. It will be removed from the site for further investigation.
