Woman arrested for starting multiple fires in downtown Prince George, RCMP say

Prince George RCMP shared this stock photo of a hand holding a lit lighter with its news release about a series of downtown arsons. (Prince George RCMP)

Mounties in Prince George say they have arrested a 38-year-old woman for a series of arsons in the city’s downtown last week.

The incidents occurred just after midnight on Friday, April 24, Prince George RCMP said in a statement Tuesday.

Officers received a call from a witness who said a woman had lit a fire in front of a business in the 1700 block of Victoria Street, according to the statement.

“The woman then continued along Victoria Street where she was observed lighting more fires,” the statement reads.

Police located the woman in the 2000 block of 20th Avenue and took her into custody after a short foot chase, Mounties said, adding that “multiple fires” were seen in the vicinity and put out, with the help of Prince George Fire Rescue Services.

The suspect, 38-year-old Jessie Lynn Giroux, was held in custody after her arrest. She has been charged with arson causing damage to property and obstructing a police officer, according to the RCMP.

Online court records indicate she was scheduled to appear in Williams Lake provincial court Tuesday morning for a bail hearing.

Mounties described Giroux as “known to police.” A search of her name in B.C.’s Court Services Online system yields 39 entries, dating back as far as 2009. Several of the cases are marked as “K” files, a designation B.C. courts use to indicate allegations of intimate partner violence.