Brian Paré, a Canadian man who claimed forest fires were the result of a government conspiracy, has pleaded guilty to lighting more than a dozen blazes during Canada’s record-breaking wildfire season, The Guardian reports.
Paré admitted to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life in Quebec. The fires, covering over 4.5 million hectares, were initially blamed on lightning strikes.
Paré’s actions diverted firefighting resources from nearly 700 fires in the province and led to the evacuation of 500 homes last summer, raising concerns about the deliberate setting of fires during a severe wildfire season.
