Woman arrested following suspicious fires in downtown Port Alberni

The fires occurred Wednesday evening. (Port Alberni RCMP)

The Port Alberni RCMP say a woman who is known to police was arrested on Wednesday evening following a pair of suspicious fires.

Police say they were called to the 4800-block of Wallace Street by the Port Alberni Fire Department after two fires were extinguished in the area in the span of about an hour.

As police investigated the scene, witnesses described the same woman being seen at both fires, Mounties say.

Shortly after, the woman, who is in her 30s, was located and arrested by RCMP.

"It is concerning to see deliberate fires being set like this in the centre of town," said Port Alberni RCMP spokesperson Const. Richard Johns in a relapse Thursday.

"After multiple suspicious fires were set last year, we understand the public’s concern for the safety of their homes and properties," he said.

"The comprehensive investigation of frontline officers, tied with the vigilance of concerned citizens, has hopefully put a damper on an early fire season in the Alberni Valley."

Mounties say the woman has since been released on conditions.  

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