Two teens who set a downtown dumpster on fire in the midst of a wave of arsons around the city have been sentenced after pleading guilty to a single instance of fire-setting.

In court last Friday, Ian Joseph, 19, received a suspended sentence and a year of probation.

Another teen — whose name cannot be published because he is just 16 and a minor – was sentenced Monday to an 18-month suspended sentence, with a term prohibiting him from being in the downtown without permission.

The pair was charged with arson after an RCMP foot patrol spotted them standing next to a dumpster in a downtown alley in late May. As the officer spoke with them, the bin caught fire, leading police to believe they’d caught the pair red-handed.

Defence lawyer Kevin Walker, representing the young offender, said his client regrets the incident.

“It was mischief he should not have been involved with,” Walker said. “It was impulsive.”

He said the 16-year-old has started Grade 12 at South Kamloops secondary and had a restaurant job downtown to which he hopes to return.

Police continued to investigate 18 suspicious fires in Kamloops since January and 68 since June 2011.

Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said there is nothing new to report in the investigation. All suspicious fires are still reviewed by the RCMP major crimes unit to determine if there are any possible links to the arsons, he said.