Two youth from Williams Lake have been charged in connection with arson and break and enters which occurred during the 2017 wildfires.
The Williams Lake RCMP provided an update on the arson and break and enters reported on August 15, 2017, that occurred throughout the Lexington Road Subdivision.
Crown counsel has approved charges of arson, mischief under $5000, possession of stolen property under $5000, and two counts of break and enter against both youths.
“There is no doubt that the elderly woman in the residence may have been seriously injured or killed if the neighbors did not see the fire and immediately tend to it with their firefighting skills during the state of emergency,” said RCMP Inspector Jeff Pelley.
“We are very fortunate for their response along with the response of the Williams Lake Fire Department was rapid to extinguish the residential fire.”
The Williams Lake RCMP were dispatched to a report of a fire in the Lexington Road Subdivision on August 15, 2017, at 5:41 am. The caller reported seeing males hiding in the area after they attempted to light a number of fires.
Throughout the investigation, officers determined a number of break and enters had also occurred throughout the subdivision.
The names of the two youth will not be released.