West Kelowna woman hit with six charges over suspicious Vernon grass fires

Mariah Banning Baer, 33, faces six criminal charges after RCMP investigators said they believe two suspicious Vernon grass fires were human-caused and intentionally set.

Source: X (Yegwave)

A West Kelowna woman is facing six criminal charges in connection with two grass fires in Vernon that RCMP say investigators believe were intentionally set earlier this month.

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said frontline officers responded to a grass fire on Commonage Road near Bench Row Road at 1:23 p.m. on Aug. 4.

A short time later, a second fire was discovered in Carlson Park on Bench Row Road.

Police said investigators believe the fires were human-caused and intentionally set.

Ten days later, on Aug. 14, police arrested a suspect in connection with both fires.