Quebec man pleads guilty to setting 14 forest fires

 

A Quebec man who posted conspiracy theories online that forest fires were being deliberately set by the government has pleaded guilty to starting a series of fires himself that forced hundreds of people from fires himself that forced hundreds of people from their homes.

 

Brian Paré, 38, pleaded guilty Monday to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life at the courthouse in Chibougamau, Que.

 

Prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron told the court that two of the 14 fires set by Paré forced the evacuation of around 500 homes in Chapais, Que., a small community located around 425 kilometres northwest of Quebec City.

 

“On May 31 at 8:30 p.m., the town of Chapais issued a mandatory evacuation order due to the raging fires, in particular the fire at Lake Cavan as well as the airport fire, two fires that are included in the charges and were cause by the accused,” Charron said as she presented an agreed statement of facts.

 

Residents of the town weren’t able to return home until June 3, Charron said. The Lake Cavan fire was by far the biggest set by Paré, burning nearly 873 hectares of forest, she said. It was also one of the first in a series of five blazes Paré ignited between May 31 and June 1 — the spree started three days after the Quebec government banned open fires in or around forests due to dry weather conditions.

 

Five fires in a short period of time in the same area raised suspicion, Charron said. Provincial police and first responders “observed that some of the fires had no possible natural cause,” she said, adding that evidence was found that some of the fires had been criminally set.

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