Vernon woman charged with arson days after Bradley Creek wildfire broke out

A woman stands accused of lighting fires in the Commonage Road area of Vernon, just days after the Bradley Creek wildfire forced thousands from their homes and left others on edge as the fire grew along Okanagan Lake.

Mariah Faye Banning Baer, born 1992, remains behind bars and is scheduled for a bail hearing next week, having been charged with six arson-related counts.

On Aug. 4, two fires broke out, the first between Commonage Road and Bench Row Road at around 1:20 p.m., according to Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. A second fire, reported about 30 minutes later, was found behind Carlson Park in the 6500 block of Bench Row Road.

The fires didn’t last long and were extinguished that afternoon. 

She has been charged with arson damaging property and arson in relation to inhabited property, along with disguising her face and possessing incendiary material.

Banning Baer, who is in her mid-30s, also has another arson charge ticking through the court system. She’s accused of arson in relation to inhabited property for a fire that dates back to March 2025. Details surrounding that fire aren’t known.

The fires Banning Baer is accused of lighting happened just four days after the Okanagan Indian Band and some surrounding areas were evacuated due to the Bradley Creek wildfire.

The wildfire began July 31, growing to 2,852 hectares before crews got it under control. In total, 230 homes were lost, and while some people have returned, many are still on evacuation.

Banning Baer’s only other criminal conviction happened in June, when she was sentenced to 18 months’ probation for falsely reporting a fire in February 2025. Another charge of disguising her face to commit an offence was stayed by Crown prosecutors.

None of the current arson allegations have been proven in court.