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(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Police and firefighters in Kamloops responded to six suspicious fires since last night.

Investigators aren't sure whether they're connected to previous recent fires within the city, but the six new ones were not random, according to a Kamloops RCMP news release.

“The timing and proximity of multiple dumpster fires last night is definitely suspicious and is not believed to be an individual or random event,” spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said in a news release.

The first was a dumpster fire in an alley behind the 400 block of Lansdowne Street, where Kamloops Fire Rescue responded around 10:45 p.m., May 15.

Four more were extinguished in alleyways on Victoria Street about an hour later.

“Along with our frontline officers, the General Investigations Support Team is also assisting fire investigators in attempting to identify a suspect and address this very serious safety concern," Evelyn said.

After five suspicious fires were doused last night, police were called to the 700 block of Sydney Avenue this morning where a man was starting a grassfire. He fled before RCMP arrived, but he was described as Caucasian, around 5'8" and wearing a white muscle shirt with white pants, according to the news release.

The new fires come just days after vehicles were set ablaze in Aberdeen and Knutsford this weekend. Last month, police and firefighters also responded to several suspicious grassfires.

Last night, one of the fires was "extremely close" to spreading to a building downtown, RCMP said.

“We always encourage businesses to lock their dumpsters and to move them away from their building as much as they possibly can,” Scott Karpiak of Kamloops Fire Rescue said. “We realize space is at a premium, but believe that creating some distance between a dumpster and a building can be effective in helping to prevent fire spread through radiant heat or direct flame impingement.”

One man has been charged for two North Kamloops arsons. Owen Lee Coty, 26 is facing two criminal charges for fires on April 30 and has been in custody since he was arrested that day, according to court records.

Several other arsons remain under investigation and police are appealing to the public to provide information that could identify a suspect.

“If you haven’t already, please take a look at any security footage you may have to see if it captured anything that could be of assistance,” Evelyn said.

Anyone with information can contact the Kamloops RCMP detachment at 250-828-3000. Those seeking more information on fire safety can contact the fire department at 250-372-5131.

— This story was corrected at 3:44 p.m., May 17, 2023, to say charges were laid in two arson fires. A previous version said no one had been charged yet.

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