Williams Lake man arrested and fined for celebrating lifted evacuation order with fireworks

WILLIAMS LAKE – Police did not find a B.C. man's fireworks entertaining.

Today, Aug. 5, the RCMP arrested an intoxicated Williams Lake resident for setting off fireworks in the early morning, according to an RCMP press release.

Vigilant members of the community reported fireworks being set off in the Carson Road area. When the RCMP responded to the report they found several empty fireworks canisters on a man’s property.

"The 34-year-old Williams Lake man later told police that he set the fireworks off in celebration of returning home after his evacuation," Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, Communications Officer for the B.C. RCMP in Williams Lake, says in the release. "It is careless acts such as this that have the real potential to trigger even more interface wildfires in the area."

The man spent the night in RCMP custody and when he sobered up he was released from police custody. He was fined more than $1,000 dollars for allegedly dropping, releasing or mishandling a burning substance, as well as for failing to comply with high-risk activity restrictions under both the provincial B.C. Wildfire Act and its regulations.

"RCMP wish to thank those astute members of the community who called in the complaint, had this man’s actions been overlooked the outcome could have been dire for the entire community," adds O'Donaghey.

The RCMP did not release the name of the man.

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