Diamond Vale Trailer Park resident Amanda Dawson was playing outside with her two-year-old and two-month-old and some of her friends Thursday night when she saw black smoke.

It appeared to be coming from the backyard of a nearby trailer, she said, but the group didn’t pay much attention to the smoke at first.
Dawson said they thought the it was from a backyard fire, but after about 20 minutes that smoke had grown and it became apparent the trailer was on fire.
“It got bigger, so we knew it was connected to the house at that point,” the 23-year-old said.
They called the police, and neighbours tried to contain the flames with some garden hoses, she said.
“My husband took the babies all inside,” Dawson said.
Police, BC Ambulance and the Merritt Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) responded to the call at about 7:30 p.m.
Firefighters had the fire out in about an hour, and the blaze was determined to be suspicious.
Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson said that the quick thinking to douse the flames with their garden hoses helped lessen the amount of damage.
The fire was burning in the structure, but Tomkinson said most of the damage appears to have been done to the exterior.
Multiple emergency vehicles responded to the scene, including two MFRD fire engines. About 24 firefighters responded.
Tomkinson said the trailer is uninhabited, and no one was hurt in this incident.
The building didn’t even have furniture in it.
Multiple RCMP officers were on scene as well, and the investigation has been turned over to police.firecops
The trailer is located behind the one which caught fire in the park this past June, which was also deemed to be a suspicious fire.