RCMP arrested a man and fined another person for breaching restrictions around the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland.
Supt. Beth McAndie, officer in charge of the Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional RCMP Detachment, said a man was arrested Sunday after attempting to enter the evacuation order area.
“The information as I have it was this individual was trying to make entry, attempting to make entry into the evacuated areas and was intercepted by our roving patrols,” said McAndie during a news conference Monday evening in Penticton.
McAndie said another person tried to charge a roadblock and was given what she described as a considerable fine.
Police, with support from neighbouring detachments, natural resource officers and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, are patrolling evacuated areas and checking properties and businesses.
“We are dedicated to the residents of Summerland and impacted evacuation areas to keeping your property safe while you remain away from your homes,” said McAndie.
“To date we have had no reports of criminal activity within the evacuation order areas.”
RCMP are also conducting a criminal investigation into the cause of the Bald Range wildfire.
McAndie said police received information from BC Wildfire Service about the potential cause of the fire.
“We are following up to see if there is any criminality involved in this.”
She said the death of an 80-year-old Meadow Valley woman and the significant property damage caused by the fire are among the reasons police need to determine whether criminality was involved.
“Because there is an associated death and a significant amount of property damage, we need to follow up with that,” she said.
She said police believe the woman’s death was a result of the fire and are working with the B.C. Coroners Service to determine the circumstances.
McAndie said Monday evening that no other fatalities had been reported to police.
McAndie said fire investigators are in the area where police believe the fire originated, but conditions are limiting what they can do.
“We are assessing as much as possible,” she said. “We are following up on the information that we have to date, and we will proceed as quickly as we can, realizing this will take some time.”
Anyone who may have seen activity near Princeton-Summerland Road and Bathville Road, including around the Crump Recreation Site and Trout Creek Recreation Site, is asked to come forward.
Police are also looking for dashcam footage, videos, photos or other information from Friday, Aug. 7, in the area when the fire started.
RCMP previously addressed a video circulating on social media showing a man using a non-lethal wildlife deterrent device, commonly known as a bear banger.
McAndie said the man has been identified and is considered a witness, not a suspect. She added investigators have determined the incident on video occurred kilometres away from the fire origin area.
RCMP are asking people to avoid spreading false or misleading information about the investigation on social media.
Anyone with information about the origin of the Bald Range wildfire can contact the Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional RCMP Detachment at 250-492-4300.
Digital footage, photos and videos can be emailed to [email protected].
