Arson suspected in almost 30 fires
Suspicious wildfires in 7 Valley communities span past 4 years
The RCMP say arson is behind as many as 29 wildfires that scorched thousands of hectares of the Okanagan Valley during the past four years.
Mounties believe the fires, which were reported in Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, Summerland and Lake Country, were all deliberately set and all connected.
“The majority of these fires were lit in interface settings,” B.C. RCMP Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said Thursday.
“One of these fires, which occurred on July 15, 2017, in Lake Country, destroyed a number of homes.”
Eight homes were destroyed in the 0.5square-kilometre Lake Country wildfire that razed part of the east side of Okanagan Lake last July.
“Thankfully, no one was injured or killed, but the potential for the loss of life was considerable,” said Linteau.
The 2017 wildfire season was the most destructive and expensive in the province’s recorded history. It cost B.C. more than $560 million to battle 1,351 fires that burned through 12,164 square kilometres.
In May, the Southeast District RCMP, B.C. Wildfire Service and other agencies created a task force to identify the person — or persons — responsible for the wildfires.
Linteau says the task force has the ability to focus on all related historical and future wildfires, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, which have been caused by arson. Arson is suspected in these wildfires: — July 7, 2014, K50209, Naramata — July 7, 2014, White Lake Road, Penticton — July 9, 2014, Richter Pass, Osoyoos — July 15, 2014, Mt. Kobau, Oliver — July 15, 2014, Apex Road, Penticton — July 17, 2014, Reservoir Road/Landfill Road, Penticton
— July 22, 2014, White Lake Road, Okanagan Falls
— Aug. 11, 2014, Chute Lake Road, Naramata
— Aug. 11, 2014, Green Mountain Road, Penticton
— Aug. 13, 2014, White Lake Road, Penticton
— Aug. 19, 2014, North Naramata Road, Naramata
— Sept. 15, 2014, Green Mountain Road, Penticton
— July 2, 2015, Canyon View Road, Summerland — Aug. 7, 2015, Pampas Grass Way, Oliver — Aug. 8, 2015, Spiller Road, Penticton — Aug. 11, 2015, Commonage Road, Lake Country
— Aug. 11, 2015, Beaver Lake Road, Lake Country — Aug. 12, 2015, Gulch Road, Naramata — Aug. 14, 2015, White Lake Road, Penticton
— April 9, 2016, Fairview-Cawston Road, Cawston
— Aug. 17, 2016, Commonage Road, Lake Country
— Aug. 17, 2016, Oyama Road, Lake Country — July 3, 2017, Pixie Beach, Lake Country — July 15, 2017, Okanagan Centre Road West, Lake Country — Sept. 1, 2017, Westhills Road, Penticton — Sept. 1, 2017, Old Princeton Highway, Summerland.