Police are investigating the cause of a series of brush fires in British Columbia's Shuswap region, as well as a wildfire in a Metro Vancouver park.
The possible arson incidents come as firefighters fear an increase in fire starts amid tinder-dry conditions across the south of the province, where raging fires have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District says RCMP are investigating after residents reported three fires in a ditch on Squilax Anglemont Road around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The district says the "suspicious" fires were spaced about 100 metres apart, and as fire crews were being dispatched, calls came in about two more fires in the nearby Anglemont Estates area.
It says the fires were brought under control, and crews conducted "community tactical patrols" throughout the night to ensure public safety.
Coquitlam RCMP are meanwhile asking for witnesses or those with video of Belcarra Regional Park on Wednesday to come forward, saying the cause of the wildfire there this week is being investigated.
That fire triggered this fire season's first evacuation alerts for Metro Vancouver in the village of Anmore, about 30 kilometres east of Vancouver.
Police say they want anyone who was in the area on Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and may have video footage to contact them.
RCMP in Kelowna are also investigating a series of fires intentionally set at a local urban park.
They say in a release that the investigation began on Wednesday, when officers responded to several small fires in the Black Mountain area near Gopher Creek Linear Park, east of the city centre.
Witnesses told police the fires were close to each other, and residents as well as park users quickly put out the flames and contacted firefighters.
B.C.'s Interior has been hardest hit by a recent surge in fire activity, with an out-of-control wildfire near Clinton forcing a fresh round of evacuation orders and alerts overnight.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says more than 40 additional properties southeast of the massive Pear Lake wildfire have been ordered to evacuate.
In addition, evacuation alerts have also been issued in new areas nearby, including near Marble Canyon Park and Pavilion Lake due to the same fire.
The Pear Lake fire is more than 1,300 square kilometres in size and is among five out-of-control wildfires of note listed by the BC Wildfire Service.
More firefighters from other jurisdictions have been arriving in B.C. to combat the blazes.
The Australian and New Zealand National Council for fire and emergency services says in a Facebook post that 41 firefighters from those two countries have been deployed to B.C., while a fresh wave of 200 personnel from Mexico arrived in the province on Thursday.
There are about 100 active wildfires burning in B.C. with roughly half of them out of control, and more than 1,400 personnel are battling the blazes.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout, B.C. Wildfire Service
