A Quebec Man Pleaded Guilty To Starting 14 Forest Fires After Blaming The Federal Government

A Quebec man has pleaded guilty to starting 14 forest fires in Chapais, Quebec — a small town located nearly 500 kilometres northwest of Quebec City.

Brian Paré had posted conspiracy theories online that the historic wildfires that ravaged Quebec forests and wildlife were deliberately being set by the federal government, the CBC reports.

On Monday, January 15, the 38-year-old Quebec resident pleaded guilty to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life at the courthouse in Chibougamau.

According to the CBC, prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron told the court that two of the 14 forest fires started by Paré resulted in the forced evacuation of around 500 homes in Chapais.

"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 Lac Cavan as well as the airport fire, two fires that are included in the charges and were caused by the accused," Charron said.

The residents of Chapais were reportedly unable to return home until June 3, 2023. The Lac Cavan fire set by Paré was the biggest — burning nearly 875 hectares of forest, Charron said.

After tracking Paré's movements, monitoring his online behaviour and obtaining a warrant to install a tracking device on Paré's car, the Quebec resident was arrested on September 7, 2023, where he then admitted to starting nine of the fires, per the CBC.

A pre-sentencing report has now been ordered and will be submitted by April 22.

Paré will remain detained until sentencing.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.