Coxheath, Nova Scotia — November 6, 2015 — Four tow trucks were destroyed earlier this week in what Cape Breton Regional Police have deemed a suspicious fire. The Chronicle Herald reports the vehicles, owned by Smith’s Towing, were engulfed in flames when police and Coxheath firefighters arrived on the scene at Keltic Drive at around 11:30 p.m. on November 3. The trucks were parked side by side close to the front of the property, which was also damaged from what appeared to be a break and enter. Members of the forensic identification unit and the fire marshal’s office are looking into the incident. According to the report, this marks the second investigation at Smith’s Towing since the company moved into the community this year. This is also not the first instance of criminal activity in the area, says Andrew Lewis, the the manager of the property’s neighbouring business, United Farmers Co-op. “There’s businesses that are targeted around here, for sure,” he told the Herald. “Especially this road here because after the businesses close, there’s not a whole lot of residents around.” In 2012, Lewis says the co-op’s safe was stolen after suspects disabled the security system by knocking down telephone wires, and just this summer a U-Haul truck was taken from the property’s parking lot. The truck was later found in South Bar. He says a nearby construction company has had their vehicles broken into on multiple occasions. Police are urging anyone with information pertaining to the incident to call 902-563-5151. Anonymous tips can also be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or visiting tipsubmit.com.
