Crews have now knocked down a home in Scotch Creek that has been the scene of multiple police incidents this week.

The home, located at 3744 Hilliam Road, was the site of a major police incident on Saturday after reports of shots fired, which involved the RCMP Emergency Response Team being on scene with local police for roughly six hours. Three nights later, someone purposely tried to burn down the home.

Area director Jay Simpson says the property owner does not live there and people had been squatting on the property without his knowledge.

“These people did take over that house and basically used it for whatever purposes they did. So I know the owner, when he was talking to RCMP, didn’t know this was happening and certainly wasn’t letting them use it. So these were squatters,” Simpson says.

“I don’t know the owner. I know they don’t live in the area. I know that they didn’t expect anybody to be living on the lot, so these people are squatters. And there was an old house there. Unheated, unpowered.”

The owners reportedly gave permission for the home to be knocked down.

Meanwhile, area residents are holding a community meeting tonight, at 7 p.m. at The Hub Restaurant in Scotch Creek, to talk about a spike in crime in their region.

(Video Credit: Facebook: The North Shuswap Kicker)