Authorities have arrested a suspect following a brush fire in Salmon Arm over the weekend that investigators believe was sparked on purpose. Emergency crews responded to the fire Saturday evening along the Trans Canada Highway, arriving to find brush “fully engulfed in flames and threatening a nearby business,” the Salmon Arm RCMP said in a news release Monday. Investigators determined the fire was “deliberately set,” and identified a suspect who was taken into custody the following day without incident, the detachment said. “Thanks to the quick actions of responding officers and community members, the fire was extinguished before it could spread to nearby buildings,” Staff Sgt. Simon Scott said in a statement. “The investigation remains ongoing and we continue to seek additional witnesses.” There have been several suspected arsons this month, as firefighting crews work tirelessly to protect a number of B.C. communities from wildfires. Five suspicious fires are under investigation in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, and authorities are investigating a recent series of suspected arsons in Kelowna’s Gopher Creek Linear Park as well. Salmon Arm RCMP asked anyone with information on Saturday’s fire to contact the detachment at 250-836-6044.
