Man arrested after multiple fires set in Nanaimo

Drivers were asked to avoid a stretch of the Nanaimo Parkway northwest of downtown Nanaimo on Tuesday as fire crews battled multiple wildfires in the area.

One man has been arrested in connection with a series of brush fires that were lit in Nanaimo on Tuesday.

Police and firefighters were called just before noon to a section of the Nanaimo Parkway near the intersection with Northfield Road.

Witnesses told police that a man was setting fires along a walking trail that runs parallel to the parkway, the Nanaimo RCMP said.

Nanaimo firefighters began attacking the fires while police searched for the perpetrator.

A suspect was arrested and taken into custody around 12:30 p.m., police said.

No injuries or property damage were reported as a result of the fires.