SURREY, B.C. — An RCMP task force says 29 wildfires are believed to have been deliberately set in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley over the last four years.
A report from the task force shows the first two suspicious fires were set on July 7, 2014 in Naramata and Penticton and 10 more were set that year across the Okanagan.
In all, eight cities and towns in the region were affected and Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau says other fires include seven sparked between July and August 2015, three set in 2016 and four last year.
She says the Southeast District RCMP Intentionally Set Wildfires Task Force was formed in May and its investigation has determined that all the blazes are connected and all are believed to be arson.
Most of the fires broke out in forested areas close to communities and Linteau says one, which occurred last July in Lake Country, north of the Kelowna, destroyed a number of homes, although no one was hurt.
Linteau says the newly formed task force has the authority to examine all related historical and future wildfires which may have been caused by arson.
The investigation is continuing, with the support of the BC Wildfire Service.
