Officers rushed to a report of a suspect shooting flaming arrows, and though that didn’t turn out to be what happened, police are still trying to find the person who started a small brush fire yesterday.
The incident happened in the 2000 block of Walsh Road in Cedar at about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 20.
The fire was small and North Cedar Fire Department doused it quickly, but several RCMP officers responded because the fire was initially reported as being started by someone shooting flaming arrows.
“Reports indicated that an individual, wearing a helmet or a baseball hat, on a dirt bike, had been shooting flaming arrows from a bow and arrow towards a residence on Walsh Road,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson.
Upon talking with witnesses in the area, police determined the fire was actually started by someone on a small motorcycle shooting a Roman candle.
Police searched the area extensively, but were not able to locate the suspect who was described as a male in his late teens or early 20s who was riding a red and white dirt bike.
“We want to find out who this person is … We are following up. There may be a possibility of CCTV camera footage from a nearby warehouse,” O’Brien said.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP detachment non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and reference file No. 2023-24779.
READ ALSO: More than half a dozen fires set along Nanaimo Parkway
The incident was the second set fire of the day in Nanaimo, as RCMP arrested a suspect who started a brush fire near the 2200 block of Dodds Road in Chase River shortly after 8:30 a.m.
According to police, a 22-year-old man was found at the scene who admitted to starting the fire. He was taken into custody, but no charges will be filed against him.
“There are significant mental health issues at play,” said O’Brien. “He’s extremely troubled.”
Most of Vancouver Island is currently listed as being under an extreme fire danger rating, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
READ ALSO: Firefighters knock down ‘highly visible’ wildfire near Alberni neighbourhood
chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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