BC firm's materials in space
$10K discrimination ruling
Quesnel pulp mill sold
Doctors protest tax change
Caribou herds growing 
Inquiry into B.C. port strike
Military helicopters collide 
EU aide accused of spying 
PM pledges deportations
Nude Beverages sells line
Wealth gap widening
Canadian Honda EV plant 
Leafs even series
Cristall gets pro look
Warriors even series in OT
Swift breaks Spotify record
Cudi Coachella set cut short
Bon Jovi 'hasn't been a saint'
It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2014 and now, we're just days away from saying goodbye.
2014 was an intriguing year in the Okanagan and all of the events, the highs and the lows were chronicled here on Castanet.
The Castanet news team has poured over the thousands of stories we brought you in 2014 and have compiled what we believe are the top 10 stories of the year.
Through to Dec. 31, we'll take a look back at these stories that helped shape our valley, the good and the bad.
Our number 8 story of 2014, Arsons plaguing Vernon.
A string of arsons have plagued the Vernon area for the past eight months, leaving residents frustrated and police searching for answers.
The first fire ignited in May; a dumpster fire reminiscent of a string of similar fires the city dealt with in the winter of 2013.
But unlike the dumpster fires that winter, what followed left no consistent pattern as all sorts of items in various locations fell victim to the mysterious culprit or culprits.
By the end of May, someone had destroyed a dumpster, a port-a-potty, a vacant building, a vacant business, a boat and a pile of pallets, with no end in sight.
Police and fire crews pleaded with the public to come forward with information to find those responsible, but no one was arrested and the fires continued.
In June, there were more arsons as another boat was set ablaze, followed by a structure fire and an attempt to set a squad car on fire.
“We need a break,” said a very frustrated RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk at the time, as by mid-June there had been over 17 suspicious fires.
Molendyk added it was one of the biggest arson files they had dealt with in recent years.
“This is one of those frustrating files in the sense that they are spread all around the community and different things are being lit on fire from dumpsters to pallets, to boats and vehicles,” he said.
At that time, the only link RCMP could make were the times they had been set -- most had been reported between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.
The number of fires then slowed for a few days, until the grandstands at Kin Race Track were set ablaze on July 9, a fire in which the massive flames could be seen for kilometres.
A two-week break followed, and residents began to think the culprit may have moved on. However their hopes were squashed July 22 when 1,000 pallets were set ablaze at a fruit processing plant.
It was also noted that the fires appeared to be gaining in severity and causing more damage.
Throughout August and September several more targets were set ablaze. The frequency of the fires had slowed, but the RCMP's 'arson file' now included over two-dozen suspicious fires.
In October the fires returned, as a barn, a building and more dumpsters were targeted, and near the end of November, a pile of tires were set ablaze.
Months worth of fires, with no arrests made, had left the police stumped.
“It would be much easier if we could say they were all in a dumpster or were all pallets, but we have had such an array of different types of fires we don't know if we are dealing with an individual or individuals,” explained RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk.
Despite the ongoing arsons, police say they cannot link the fires and will not say whether one firebug is plaguing the area or if multiple arsonists are to blame.
“How can we say we have a pattern when you go from pallets, to dumpsters, to boats, abandoned vehicles, old houses, apple bins, stands, tires, everything. There is just a miss-mash of everything, and it's not even in one area of town, it's scattered all over town,” adds Molendyk.
With all the fires this year, Molendyk says the file is still under investigation as police work to connect the blazes and try to bring an end to the damage.
Police and the Vernon Fire Department are asking anyone with information to contact the Vernon RCMP at (250)-545-7171 or remain anonymous by calling Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The map below has been updated throughout the year and reflects the majority of arsons reported up to and including Dec 23, 2014.
