Fort St. John barbershops owner offers $5k reward for information after fire and vandalism

FORT ST. JOHN — The owner of Fort St. John barbershops is offering a $5,000 reward after one of his businesses went up in flames and another was vandalized on the same night. 

On July 12th at around 3.30 a.m., emergency services rushed to the Golden Hands Barbershop on 100th Street because it was being destroyed in a fire. 

Shortly after, a window of The Barbershop in the Mackenzie Mall was reportedly smashed. 

RCMP officers confirmed they are investigating the cause of the blaze, but owner of the two businesses – who would prefer not to be named due to concerns about repeat attacks – believes both incidents were deliberate.  

He has offered the $5,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction, and will be putting up posters around Fort St. John to advertise the incentive.

He has also released CCTV video of the alleged perpetrator, which Energeticcity.ca is currently verifying. 

“We have been targeted and violated,” he told Energeticcity.ca. “So I need more details… I need to know who is behind this.” 

The owner is a 29-year-old entrepreneur who previously lived in Fort St. John and opened the Golden Hands Barbershop two years ago. 

He told Energeticcity.ca he is working to get the shop repaired using his insurance and hopes it will reopen as quickly as possible. 

“We had a lot of support from all the people in Fort St John, and everybody’s looking forward for us to open the shop back up,” he said.

“…The [community] have asked us if we need any help, they tried to donate their time with us. They said, ‘we can give you a free anything that you need, we can help, we can clean, we can do a lot of things.’”

He said it “means a lot,” adding: “Fort St John is home for me…I’m still shocked.”

In the meantime, his barbers are taking clients at The Experts Barbershop at Totem Mall and his Mackenzie Mall site, The Barbershop. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCMP at 250-787-8140.