The southern Okanagan community of Oliver – with its Wine Capital of Canada billing, lush golf courses and population of less than 5,000 – would seem among the last places in British Columbia likely to be hit by a car bombing.
But that's just what the RCMP is investigating, after an improvised explosive device was placed under a vehicle and went off around 2 a.m. Sunday. No one is believed to have been hurt.
Sergeant Peter Thiessen, an RCMP spokesman, said in an interview Tuesday the motive for the bombing remains unclear and police don't know who is responsible.
"This had the potential to create some significant injury and even could have killed someone very easily," he said.
The RCMP was not notified of the incident until 10:40 a.m. Monday, when an Oliver resident visited the police detachment. The woman was carrying a piece of metal that appeared to have flown through a wall and into her garage, Sgt. Thiessen said.
When police went to the area, the 600-block of Earle Crescent, they noticed a vehicle in the rear driveway of a home had sustained significant damage to its rear wheels and undercarriage. The cement driveway also appeared to have been scorched, and pieces of metal and rubber were found nearby.
The vehicle was secured for examination. A second garage was found to have also sustained damage in the blast, with a piece of metal moving so quickly that it flew into the building through one wall and back out through another.
Sgt. Thiessen characterized an incident of this sort, in this area, as "extremely rare."
The RCMP's explosives disposal unit has been called to the scene, and Sgt. Thiessen said they will try to make some determinations around the make-up of the device. The force is not releasing information on who the vehicle belonged to, or whether that person is known to police.
When asked if the incident is related to gangs, Sgt. Thiessen said investigators aren't ruling anything out but don't yet know. He said gangs in B.C. have shown they are generally "quite mobile" and Oliver wouldn't be exempt.
Sergeant Lindsey Houghton, spokesman for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C., the province's anti-gang agency, said the RCMP is leading the investigation and his agency hasn't been asked to consult. He said the agency has not received any indication of gang involvement in the bombing. Sgt. Houghton said there is not much in the way of organized crime in Oliver, aside from gang members who might visit the area.
Sally Brown, who lives on Earle Crescent, about a block away from the blast, said she heard the explosion. "I was in bed, asleep, and it woke me up," she said. "It sounded like something hit my house, it was so noisy."
Ms. Brown said she got up and looked around. When she didn't see anything she went back to bed.