Kamloops woman charged with arson in connection to wildfires


Angela Elise Cornish, 42, was arrested May 11 and charged with four counts of arson.

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A Kamloops woman is facing arson charges for allegedly starting several wildfires in the BC Interior.

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Angela Elise Cornish, 42, was arrested May 11 and charged with four counts of arson. She remains in custody until a bail hearing on Monday.

Lisa Hudema of the BC Wildfire Service said an “an area of ​​interest” was identified after several human-caused wildfires suspected to be “incendiary in nature” broke out on Crown land this spring.

RCMP say a resident in the Monte Lake area was investigating smoke in the hills on April 30 when they noticed a suspicious vehicle, took down the license plate, and reported the incident to police.

That vehicle was also involved in a report of a person suspected of lighting slash piles on fire in the Westwold area, about 10 kilometers east on Highway 97, on May 2. There were unconfirmed reports that a blue pickup truck driven by a woman was spotted leaving the area of ​​both fires.

On May 3, RCMP issued a release about the Westwold fires, which prompted other residents to report their encounters with the vehicle to police.

Chief Supt. Brad Haugli of RCMP Southeastern District credited the assistance of Monte Lake and Westwold residents in identifying a suspect in the fires.

Anyone who spots wildfires can report it to the BC Wildfire Service at 1-800-663-5555 or dialing *5555 from a cell phone.


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