Arson suspect arrested by RCMP

A man suspected of trying to start a fire in Kelowna on Monday evening has been arrested thanks to the help of a resident.

On August 16, just after 9:30 p.m., RCMP received a report of a man attempting to light the bushes on fire in a commercial area of 1900 block of Kane Road. Officers responded to the scene where they gathered evidence from a witness to the apparent arson. That led them to a man in the area who was arrested and taken into custody without incident.

“Due to the actions of the concerned citizen who called 911, our officers were able to quickly locate and arrest the man,” said Cst. Solana Paré, Media Relations Officer for the Kelowna RCMP. “Thankfully due to the rain, the fire did not ignite and there was no property damage as a result of this reckless act.”

The suspect, a 32-year-old Kelowna man, is in police custody and faces a number of potential charges.