Langley, B.C., has lost a beloved piece of history and the home’s owner said he wants investigators to get to the bottom of how the fire began. On Thursday, the historic McIver House, better known as the Little Red House, was destroyed by fire. “It didn’t seem real. It didn’t look real. It was just insane,” said owner Rob Rindt, who is also a Langley Township councillor. He told CTV News he was out of town when the fire began, but neighbours began texting him information and photos. “There was no electrical or gas hooked up. There was nothing connected to it. But some neighbours texted me saying they saw a group of kids walking down the street around 11:30 p.m.,” he recalled. Langley RCMP said there is no information at this point to suggest the fire was suspicious, but the owner thinks otherwise. “It’s 100 per cent suspicious,” Rindt said. “A house in the middle of a sod field isn’t just going to light itself on fire,” he said, adding that he’s in “talks” with the RCMP and is pushing them to investigate further. The home had stood in a Glen Valley field for close to 140 years. “It was just a landmark here. Everybody knew about it,” said Rindt. It was popular among photographers, painters and those who admired its history and location, though the Langley Heritage Society said it had fallen into disrepair. “It was showing its age,” agreed Rindt. However, he said that contractors had come through and “they said the cost of bringing it back to heritage, it was going to cost millions … it was just not in the budget.” Meanwhile, people continue to flock to see what’s left of the burned-out heritage home. Tom Malyk and a group of other cyclists rode to the location on Monday afternoon. “We’ve come by here, maybe a dozen times in the last few years. We have always admired it, taken pictures of it,” said Malyk. Motorcyclist Sean Porter rode from Surrey Monday to see the home one last time. “It makes me very sad. I don’t understand how that happened or why it happened,” he said. Rindt said the home will remain standing for the next few weeks, allowing people to come by and take photos before the structure is torn down.
