Man facing arson charges in northern Quebec wildfires to remain in custody

Wildfire raging west of Chibougamau, in Northern Quebec, in a June 4, 2023, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Audrey Marcoux

A Quebec man facing arson charges for allegedly setting forest fires during the province's unprecedented wildfire season will remain detained ahead of a bail hearing on Monday.

Brian Pare, 37, of Chibougamau, Que., was arrested and charged with two counts of arson on Thursday. Prosecutors allege Pare deliberately ignited a fire or explosion "on several occasions" in a forest between July 8 and Tuesday. A second arson charge is in connection with a fire at a fishing cabin around May 31 that was not owned by the accused.

Provincial police say they are trying to determine whether the fires allegedly started by Pare were connected to the major wildfires near Chibougamau, located 450 kilometres northwest of Quebec City, that led to the evacuation of its 7,500 residents in June.

"The investigation isn't over, we still have to see if there's a link to the principle forest fires that burned in the Chibougamau area," Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu said in an interview Friday. "There's a lot of work to do, but for the moment we were able to recommend two charges."

Beaulieu said the case started with the investigation into the fishing cabin fire, during which police found evidence that led them to Thursday's arrest. Along the way, Beaulieu said, police were assisted by behaviour analysis experts, criminal profilers, and forensic psychologists.

Chibougamau Mayor Manon Cyr says she was relieved when she learned of Pare's arrest. In an interview Friday, the mayor said the fires that Pare is accused of starting were unrelated to the two massive wildfires that forced the evacuation of the town in June.

"We'll see what's said in court on this," Cyr said. "But the big fires that caused the evacuation were caused by lightning."

However, Pare is accused of deliberately starting fires at a time when the government had temporarily banned open-air fires and forbade people from entering the forests.

Chibougamau was evacuated on June 6 for about one week because of wildfires and poor air quality.

Quebec had an unprecedented forest fire season this year, with almost 15,000 square kilometres burned.

The force's major crimes unit is handling the investigation, Beaulieu said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 8, 2023.