Suspect arrested after West Kelowna residents witness man lighting fire in wooded area behind homes
RCMP say suspicious activity 'deeply unsettling' considering current wildfire risk in province
Update — July 22, 2021: West Kelowna RCMP say they have completed their investigation. Stephen Leader, 36, has been arrested and charged with arson.
RCMP say a man was arrested on Saturday after some quick-thinking residents of a West Kelowna neighbourhood reported seeing someone light a fire in a wooded area behind homes.
B.C. RCMP spokesperson Dawn Roberts said neighbours in the 3000 block of Webber Road witnessed a man roaming through the wooded hillside behind their homes around 8 p.m. Saturday.
They called police after witnessing the person light something on fire and throw it into the trees. Roberts said the local residents quickly rushed to put out the fire before it spread.
"We would like to acknowledge the community that was quick to call in the incident and also deal with a possible fire, recognizing some of the dangers and hazards that are in place right now around fires," she said.
Around 9 p.m. police located the suspect and arrested him. He was released on conditions. Roberts said investigators are trying to determine a motive for the act, and charges are pending.
Investigators are using as evidence a video of the suspect that Castanet, a southern Interior news media outlet, has posted on its YouTube page.
Roberts said the incident is concerning considering the number of wildfires currently burning across the province.
"It's deeply unsettling," said Roberts.
"Given the conditions that we have around the province right now and just the suspicious nature of it, we are very fortunate that we didn't have anything more serious as a result of the attempt that was made. It was extinguished."