A Quebec man recently arrested and charged for setting fires in the Chibougamau region was known to police and had faced serious prior charges.
According to la Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Quebec’s provincial police force, Brian Pare was detained on Thursday after a “meticulous investigation” into fires that caused damage to a local property.
37-year-old Pare faces two counts of arson for these alleged acts that took place around the time Chibougamau faced evacuation orders due to wildfires on May 31.
Additionally, Pare is accused of lighting fires between July 8 and September 5.
Chibougamau Mayor Manon Cyr said that there’s no evidence to suggest Pare was responsible for starting the fire which ravaged the community but she can’t rule out his potential role in a fire at Lake Cavan.
“There were several fires over several days in the May 31 area. Most were extinguished quickly. Is he [responsible] for the fire at Lake Cavan, which forced the partial evacuation of Chapais? That I cannot confirm for the moment,” said Cyr.
Cyr also said that the Chibougamau fires were caused by lightning strikes north of the region.
Prior to being arrested Pare already had quite the rap sheet including charges for human trafficking, assault with a weapon, theft, threats and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
According to Le Journal de Montreal, Pare was also active on social media under the name Brian Pare Veilleux.
The outlet found several recent posts by Pare in which he doubted the role climate change had in forest fires raging across Canada.
Crown lawyers argued for Pare to remain behind bars and not be released on bail.
He will have his next hearing on Monday at the Roberval judicial district.
