From chemical burns to a logging truck accident, RCMP describes the events in Fairy Creek

The Mounties say they made eight arrests this week while enforcing the warrant.

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Riders in southern Vancouver Island say an overheated can of bear spray caused chemical burns to one person and respiratory problems to others aboard a bus near the Fairy Creek protest site.

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Police say in a press release that they heard a report that someone had chemical burns caused by a kitchen stove, but members of the BC ambulance service responded Tuesday and determined that the bear spray had exploded, leading to five people, including children, to be treated at the scene.

The bus also caught fire.

It was the same day that three officers were injured on a forest road between Lake Cowichan and Port Renfrew, when two RCMP vehicles were involved in an accident involving a logging truck. Agents were on their way to enforce a court order against the blockades set up to protest the cutting down of old trees.

The Mounties say they made eight arrests this week while enforcing the warrant, removing protesters from the obstacles and devices they had locked themselves into, bringing the total number of arrests since last spring to 1,168.

A part of the forest road that had been washed away by heavy rains was also repaired to allow the passage of vehicles, according to a statement issued Friday by the RCMP.

Mounted continue to search for a missing 61-year-old man who was last seen walking between two camps in the Fairy Creek area on Oct. 13, they added.