Kamloops RCMP say they’re investigating five suspicious fires that were reported in a 48 hour period this past weekend.

Mounties say they were called to a residential complex on the 400-block of St. Paul Street downtown around 1:20 a.m. on April 1 – the fifth such call over the Easter Long Weekend.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn says police were told about a “loud boom” that preceded flames on the east side of the residential building.

She says while a jerry can was found nearby, there were no injuries, and the flames were quickly put out by firefighters.

Evelyn says the first fire was reported around 1 a.m. on Saturday, March 30, on the 800-block of Valhalla Drive in North Kamloops.

“At that time, police received multiple reports of an explosion caused by what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail thrown at a building,” Evelyn said. “A man associated to a pickup truck was observed in the area.”

Evelyn says the second fire was reported around 2 a.m., at a motel on the 1800-block of the East Trans Canada Highway. She says KFR notified police that a small fire outside an electrical room appeared to have been intentionally lit.

An hour later – around 3:10 a.m. – Mounties say they were called to another fire on the 2000-block of the East Trans Canada Highway. This blaze involved five cedar hedges, though there was no damage to a nearby building.

Evelyn also says Mounties from the Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP Detachment were called to the 400-block of Chilcotin Road around 6:55 a.m. Saturday, after firefighters put out a fire that had damaged the rear of a building. She says three vehicles in the area also appeared to have been vandalized.

“While there are some similarities in a couple of the reports, there are also a lot of differences,” Evelyn added. “At this time, the motives and any connection between the fires is still under investigation.”

In a bid to gather more information, the RCMP have released pictures from the fires at Valhalla Drive and St. Paul Street. In the Valhalla Drive fire, they say video of a pickup truck and a person in the area were captured.

“The image quality of the suspect is poor, but others in the area may have recorded something clearer,” she said.

In the case of the fire on St. Paul Street, police say the suspect is described as wearing:

• A blue hooded zip jacket with reflective strip on the right sleeves near the wrist, a large reflective patch on the right chest side, and a wide reflective strip across the upper back
• A black zippered backpack with the main zip pocket and a small zip pocket in the front;
• Dark pants, gloves and a toque under their jacket hood;
• Black shoes with white soles

People with information that could be related to any of the fires are being told to contact the Kamloops RCMP Detachment at 250-828-3000.