Kamloops woman charged with arson after several human-caused wildfires

A Kamloops woman has been arrested and charged with four counts of arson, after several wildfires in the area so far this spring.

RCMP say someone in the Monte Lake area saw some smoke in the hills on April 30 and then reported a suspicious vehicle on a forestry road. An alert was sent out to the community a few days later, which led to other reports of a person believed to be the same person driving the same car.

On Wednesday, Angela Elise Cornish was arrested. The 42-year-old has since been charged with four counts of arson for incidents in several locations across the Southeast District of B.C. She has a bail hearing set for Monday.

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“This spring, an area of interest was identified near Kamloops, B.C. due to several human-caused wildfires on Crown Land that were suspected incendiary in nature,” said Wildfire Enforcement Superintendent Lisa Hudema with the BC Wildfire Service.

“Due to the close working relationship between the RCMP and BC Wildfire Service, coupled with the serious nature of these fires, resources were quickly deployed to this priority investigation.”

According to the BC Wildfire Service, there have been 106 blazes province-wide so far this year, including six in the past two days. Almost all of the wildfires this season are believed to be human-caused.

The RCMP is thanking people who live in the Monte Lake and Westwold area who reported suspicious activity when they spotted it.

If you see a wildfire, you’re asked to report it right away by calling 1-800-663-5555 or dialing *5555 from your cell phone.