The public is urged to be vigilant after the number of arson fires in Vernon has grown.
RCMP officers responded to two small fires during the early hours of Thursday morning downtown.
“We are treating them as suspicious because there was no reason these fires should occur,” said Gord Molendyk, RCMP spokesperson.
The first incident occurred at about 2:40 a.m. when an officer on routine patrol noticed the Vernon Fire Department dousing a small fire in an alley in the 3200 block of 31st Avenue.
The blaze had been started in some trash, and there was some concern it could spread.
“Any time a fire is near a building, there is the potential it could get into the building,” said Molendyk, adding that there was no damage to the structure.
A short time later at about 3:50 a.m., officers patrolling downtown found trash burning in the roundabout at 30th Avenue and 35th Street.
These are just the latest suspicious fires in Vernon.
On Saturday, firefighters tackled a motorhome fire in the 3600 block of 26th Avenue at about 11 p.m. A fire was also started next to a vehicle at an automobile dealership on Pleasant Valley Road at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
On May 22, firefighters tackled a pile of burning pallets in the 4600 block of 34th Street after 10 p.m.
A boat was also set ablaze May 20, a fire was sparked at a vacant home May 19, a portable outhouse was torched Monday May 19, a pile of railway ties was burned May 16 and a vacant commercial building was destroyed by fire May 18.
All of the incidents are under investigation but few leads have come into the RCMP detachment.
“It could be the time of day because they come in the earning morning hours when people are asleep and they are in light-industrial areas where not many people live,” said Molendyk.
But the police are seeking public assistance to determine who may be responsible for the fires.
“There are tax drivers and delivery people out early in the morning so if they see anything, they should report it to the police,” said Molendyk.
