B.C. landowner to pay $450k for causing wildfire

A landowner in British Columbia’s Cariboo region is required to pay $450,000 after causing a wildfire west of Quesnel.

The man appealed the case and suggested that the real cause was arson by his neighbours’ “troubled” grandson.

Last week, the B.C. Forest Appeals Commission (FAC) rejected Clarke Matthiesen’s appeal for the Apr. 2019 blaze and stated that his theory was “both unproven and unlikely.”

Although the neighbours’ grandson had threatened to burn Matthiesen’s cabin and everything he has “to the ground” four months prior to the wildfire, no evidence was presented showing he was in the area during the wildfire, the decision says.

The FAC ruled the fire spread from a “smouldering burn pile” that was not properly extinguished after an unregistered open burn months earlier.

The FAC adds that holdover fires can smolder underground for months and re-emerge when weather conditions are dry enough for it to start spreading again. When engaging in burning activities, it adds, a person must ensure they meet the requirements to prevent destruction.

Matthiesen will be paying the hefty $450,000 fine, according to the decision, which includes covering costs for damage, two-weeks of fire-fighting, and reforestation.