Brush fires sparked by children
By Kyra Hoggan
Two young girls, a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old, were caught setting brush fires on Blueberry Road in Castlegar Monday night, according to police.
Castlegar RCMP Const. Stephen Montgomery said police and fire crews responded to three small blazes just before 9:30 p.m.
“One tree was engulfed (in flames) from what I could see, and the other two were almost extinguished on their own by the time we got there,” he said. “The Castlegar Fire Department dealt with them right away.”
He said the underage culprits were no longer on scene when police arrived, but he located the person who called in the fires, who then directed RCMP to the homes of the young people involved.
“The parents were quite helpful, and will be taking responsibility and assisting in the matter,” he said. “I asked the young ladies to prepare letters of apology to the Castlegar Fire Department, for wasting their time and taking them away from their homes and families.”
Montgomery said police would like to remind the public that the area is tinder dry this time of year, and what may seem like a harmless prank could have serious consequences. A brush fire could easily spiral out of control, threatening both property and human life.
Comments