A Canadian man who proposed a conspiracy theory that forest fires were intentionally set by the government has been found guilty of starting 14 of his own fires.
Arsonist Brian Pare, 38, pleaded guilty earlier this week to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life.
“His main motivation was [he] They claimed that they were carrying out tests to see if the forest was really dry,” said prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charon. According to the Independent.
Prosecutors said one of the fires set by Mr. Paré in June 2023 caused the evacuation of at least 500 homes in Chapay, Quebec. According to CBC. Officials say the fire alone has burned 873 hectares (about 4 square miles) of forest.
“At 8:30 p.m. on May 31st, the town of Chapai was in a state of emergency due to the raging fires, specifically the Lake Cavan fire and the Airport fire, both of which are included in the charges. A mandatory evacuation order was issued by the accused,'' prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charon said during a hearing in Sibougamau court on Monday.
The Chapay fire was the first of five fires started by Paré between May 31 and June 1, according to prosecutors. The spree began just three days after the Quebec government banned bonfires in and around forests due to increasingly dry weather conditions.
Investigators observed that there was no possibility of natural causes for the five fires.
According to The Independent, Pare falsely claimed in a social media post that the government started the fires to convince people of climate change.
Pare, 38, became the prime suspect after police interviewed him after he was seen in the area where the fire broke out on June 2nd. Investigators began tracking his social media posts, and he claimed the devastating fires were intentionally set by the government to trick people into believing in climate change.
Pare was arrested on September 7 after investigators obtained a warrant and installed a tracking device on his car. Prosecutors said Paré tracked some of the fires to where they started.
When questioned by police, Pare admitted that he was the one who started the fire.
“At this point, the defendant admitted that he was the one who started the fire, claiming his primary motive was that he was conducting a test to see if the forest was truly dry,” Sharon said.
Paré's lawyers have requested a pre-sentence report, which is expected to be made public in April. He remains in custody while awaiting his sentencing.
Canada's 2023 wildfire season broke records, burning about 18.4 million hectares, or 45.5 million acres, roughly the size of North Dakota, CNN reported.
Lightning was the cause of Canada's record fires last year, according to Quebec's Forestry and Fire Protection Agency. According to the agency, about 53% of fires are caused by lightning strikes.
“This historic season was caused by a combination of widespread drought and devastating lightning strikes,” a spokesperson for Quebec's fire department told CNN.
Winds pushed toxic smoke and ash south from raging Canadian wildfires, leaving New York City choked with unhealthy air quality for days.
