Forest fires have been plaguing parts of the world during extremely hot and dry summers. While some of these are started by accident, others are not so much. A Canadian man who spread conspiracy theories online saying that the government was deliberately starting forest fires has now pleaded guilty to setting 14 fires himself.
Brian Paré pleaded guilty to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life at a courthouse in Chibougamau, Quebec. The 38-year-old started two fires that led to the evacuation of about 500 homes in Chapais, Quebec, back in 2023.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued in the town on May 31, 2023, following a fire at an airport and at Lake Cavan, prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron told the court. More than 2,000 acres of forest were scorched by those fires and residents were only able to return to their homes on June 3.
Officers first spoke to Paré on June 2 after he was seen near where one of the fires started. Although he denied causing the fire at the time, the police remained suspicious after Paré demonstrated a “certain interest in fires” after an investigation.
Police began watching Paré’s Facebook page, where he regularly posted about the first fires in the province, claiming that the government was deliberately starting them in order to trick more people into believing in climate change.
After the Facebook posts aroused suspicions, police installed a tracking device on Paré’s car. It revealed that he had been at multiple locations where fires were ignited on both September 1 and September 5. He was arrested on September 7 and admitted to starting nine fires.
“At this point, the accused admitted he was the one who started the fires and, as his main motivation, claimed he was doing tests to find out whether the forest was really dry or not,” Charron said.
Since his arrest, Paré has been held in detention. A pre-sentencing report will assess Paré’s mental state and evaluate the risk he poses to public safety.
According to SOPFEU, Quebec’s anti-forest-fire society, the fires throughout the province burned more than 11 million acres of land during 2023’s forest fire season, a number that was historically high for the area.