Memorial appears for man who died in Kamloops riverside encampment fire

Flowers, a cross and a photo are attached to trees near the site of a fire and the death of a homeless man in Kamloops. Wade Leroy Hart is named in the memorial just west of the Red Bridge, where the 56-year-old's body was found in the burnt remains of an encampment. "Rest in paradise, our dear friend," reads a message written in pink marker on the bark of a birch tree and signed by Shannon L. and Murray L. He was born May 5, 1967, and died Jan. 20, 2024, according to the dates on a cross that is part of the memorial. Bouquets have been attached to the trees just off the trail and deeper in the bush where the fire consumed his camp on Jan. 20. Local non-profit workers who work with the homeless community contacted by iNFOnews.ca were not able to confirm his identity. There appears to be no death notice online for Hart, nor anyone else in Kamloops who died on the same day. Meanwhile, the BC Coroners Service and Kamloops RCMP won't confirm the identity of the deceased. The memorial is the only connection tying Hart to the fire. Electronic court records between 2011 and 2018 match his birth date, with some documents placing him in Kamloops. The public was first alerted to the discovery four days after the fire when police said someone cleaning the site found "suspicious debris." iNFOnews.ca learned the next morning it was a body https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-rcmp-suspicious-debris-investigation-is-a-body/it102821 . Kamloops Fire Rescue has so far refused to comment on the fact that human remains were found four days after they doused the fire. Police kept the area closed to the public for days after the discovery, taping off the scene and covering two areas with tents. On Feb. 1, RCMP said his death was not considered suspicious. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/death-of-person-near-kamloops-red-bridge-not-criminal/it102984 The burnt remains of Hart's camp were later cleaned up, but there are still plastic wrappers and pieces of rope at the site. Some scattered police tape remains tied to a tree. If not for the memorial, the faint burning smell and a flattened space where a tent once stood, along with the lack of debris leaves little trace that anyone camped there. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .