Police seek suspect in series of arsons
Police are investigating a series of arsons and are asking the public for assistance in identifying a suspect captured on video moments after he allegedly lit a fire late Monday morning.
Kelowna RCMP received several calls that a male had ignited a fire at the corner of Springfield and Burtch roads at 11 a.m.
The suspect reportedly fled east along Springfield Road until he cut through a business parking lot on the south side of the road and went into an adjacent orchard, said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
The suspect is described as a fivefoot-seven Caucasian male, about 180 pounds, with brown hair and a brown goatee.
He was seen wearing a grey hoodie, dark pants, dark running shoes and sunglasses while carrying a stick.
Investigators believe the fire may be related to a handful of other fires reported over the past couple of weeks in Kelowna.
On Sept. 14, emergency crews responded to a report of a stack of wooden pallets on fire behind a business in the 1500 block of Gordon Drive shortly after 4 a.m. An adjacent duplex was damaged as a result of the fire. An unidentified suspicious male was seen in the area prior to the fire.
On Sept. 19, RCMP were called to assist the fire department at a pair of Dumpster fires in the back parking lot of a business in the 1800 block of Baron Road shortly before 3 a.m.
On Sept. 21, just before noon, police received a report of an overnight arson discovered outside a business in the 1500 block of Banks Road.
The complainants suspected the fire may have been lit by a transient who had since cleared the scene.
On Sept. 25, police were notified of an arson incident on Sept. 21, in which a small amount of debris was lit on fire on the sidewalk in front of a business in the 2300 block of Highway 97 North. The fire was extinguished by a passerby.
Anyone with information about any of these arsons is asked to contact Const. Kevin Hamilton of the Kelowna RCMP at 250-470-6302 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.