Yellowknife RCMP have charged a woman with activating a false fire alarm – a rare move that comes in the wake of a rash of phony or "malicious" fire alarm pulls in the city.
Mounties have charged 29-year-old Carlena Mantla under the Criminal Code after firefighters responded to a false alarm at a downtown apartment building on Jan. 20 around 6:30 a.m., stated RCMP in a news release issued Wednesday.
"Over the past few months, RCMP and the City of Yellowknife Fire Division have responded to multiple false fire alarms in residential units throughout the city," stated an RCMP spokesperson.
Earlier this month, multiple tenants living at Crestview Manor Apartments in downtown Yellowknife lamented the frequent false calls and worried commonplace fire alarms would leave fellow residents with a false sense of safety, to Yellowknifer.
Police did not specify which building the Yellowknife Fire Division responded to.
"RCMP wish to inform the public that false fire alarm calls are taken seriously and when improperly used, they occupy valuable resources that could be used elsewhere in the event of an actual emergency," stated the release.
RCMP remind residents to treat fire alarms seriously and to only use them in the event of a real emergency," added the spokesperson.
Mantla is due to appear in court on Feb. 26.