West Shore RCMP have arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly starting a fire on the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.
On Sunday August 16, police received a report from a complainant who said they saw a young man start a fire on the trail.
The complainant told police that they told the suspect to put out the fire, but the suspect left the scene.
Police say the fire had potential to quickly spread to homes nearby, due to its proximity to foliage on either side of the ditch. Firefighters from the View Royal Fire Department were able to put out the flames before they spread.
When officers arrived on site, witnesses were able to provide them with a detailed description of what the suspect looked like.
This led them to quickly find him nearby and take the 17-year-old into custody for arson.
He was held in custody and appeared in court on August 17 where he was charged with Mischief.
“We want to thank the witness for acting quickly and calling for help,” said Cst. Nancy Saggar.
“The witnesses also tried to put out the fire themselves before help arrived but the fire proved to be too large to extinguish without help from View Royal Fire Dept.”
