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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

A 42-year-old woman has been charged with arson after several small fires were spotted in the fire-ravaged Monte Lake area last month.

Angela Elise Cornish was arrested on Wednesday, May 11, and faces four counts of arson after a joint investigation with RCMP and the B.C. Wildfire Service, according to an RCMP news release.

The investigation started after a Monte Lake resident found a "suspicious vehicle" while investigating smoke they saw in the hills on April 30, RCMP said.

The person took note of the license plate then reported it to police.

Others in the community reported their own encounters with the vehicle after news spread of a potential arsonist.

"I wish to acknowledge the tremendous assistance of the Monte Lake and Westwold residents, who provided our investigators with the valuable information we needed to successfully advance this investigation," RCMP Southeast District Chief Supt. Brad Haugli said in the release. "I would like to highlight the exceptional work of B.C. Wildfire Service throughout this investigation."

The B.C. Wildfire Service responded to four spot fires in the Monte Lake and Westwold area on April 30 and contained them before they spread.

"B.C. Wildfire Service provincial fire origin and cause investigators are jointly investigating these fires with the RCMP Southeast District general investigation section. Once the investigation into the origin and cause of these wildfires are completed, a report will be provided to the RCMP that will support their investigation. The report will not be released to the public until the RCMP’s investigation is complete," Lisa Hudema, B.C. Wildfire Service enforcement superintendent, said in the release.

Cornish was charged on May 11 and remains in custody until a bail hearing on May 16.

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