BC man fined for celebrating evacuation return with fireworks

WILLIAMS LAKE (NEWS 1130) – A drunk Williams Lake man has received a hefty fine after he set off fireworks to celebrate being allowed home after a wildfire evacuation.

Williams Lake RCMP responded to a report that fireworks were being launched from a property near Carson Drive and Central Court early on Saturday. Officer found several empty fireworks canisters on the man’s property and arrested the 34-year-old.

(He) later told police that he set the fireworks off in celebration of returning home after his evacuation, says Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. It is careless acts such as this that have the real potential to trigger even more interface wildfires in the area.

“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.”

The man spent the night sobering up in RCMP cells, before being released with more than $1,000 in fines 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 BC Wildfire Act and its regulations.

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