Two men in Alberta have been charged by the RCMP in connection to forest fires, one of which resulted in an evacuation.
A 40-year-old man was charged with arson after a forest fire on Monday evacuated 170 people from Lake Louise Ski Resort’s Charleston Residence.
On top of the arson charge, Timothy Alexander Peterson was nabbed for possession of a weapon for a deadly purpose. Peterson’s scheduled for a court appearance on Friday.
Police found Peterson at the resort, which was badly damaged from the fire. Peterson was holding a knife while on the roof of the building when police found him, but he was convinced to climb down the firefighters’ ladder. However, he slipped and fell onto a mattress the firefighters had prepared in case of a fall.
Also happening on Tuesday, 63-year-old Alvin Sayer was charged with six offences under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act, as well as one offence under the Forest and Prairie Protection Regulation, in relation to a Canada Day fire in Three Hills.
Fortunately, this particular fire was put out without too much damage taking place.
Police received a report of a “suspicious male” on Highway 27 near Morrin Bridge.
“Three Hills RCMP would also like to thank motorists and farmers in the area who jumped in to assist with the fire control until the Three Hills Fire Department subdued the fire,” their report stated.
Last month, BC’s Coastal Fire Centre indicated that every forest fire on Vancouver Island this year — all 46 of them — was started by humans.
The annual number of wildfires in Canada over the past 40 years appears to be relatively stable, if not slightly decreasing. In spite of this, the usual suspects continue to politicize the fires.
