Right place, right time: Off-duty RCMP officer spots woman suspected of starting Port Alberni wildfire

By Ethan Morneau
Chek News
August 7, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mounties in Port Alberni say an off-duty officer spotted a woman who is believed to have started a wildfire. Tuesday, Aug. 6, the Port Alberni RCMP officer observed and reported a fire in a forested area, near the Stirling Arm and Canal Main forest service roads. Officers responded to the area and found a 27-year-old woman suspected of starting the fire. Police say she’s been held in custody and brought before the courts, and a detailed report is being sent to Crown counsel for consideration of charges. …Fire information officer Sam Bellion is urging people to use extra caution, including on Vancouver Island, where the fire danger rating currently varies from moderate to extreme. …She adds that so far this year, people are responsible for the majority of the wildfires reported within the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes the Island, Lower Mainland, Central Coast and Haida Gwaii.

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