Alberta RCMP charge man relating to wildfire
Posted May 12, 2022 10:47 am.
The Alberta RCMP Forestry Crimes Unit has charged a Peace River man in relation to a wildfire that happened just north of Sexsmith on July 15, 2021.
Police say it started on July 10, 2021, when an Alberta Wildfire fleet vehicle was stolen from the Alberta Wildfire compound in Peace River. Officers say that stolen vehicle was then used to bring stolen radiators to a lease site north of Sexsmith on July 15, 2021.
RCMP add that in the process of the radiators being stripped for copper, a cutting tool sparked a 1.9-hectare wildfire in the area. The fire was put out by Saddle Hills County Volunteer Fire Department and Alberta Wildfire crews.
The copper from the radiators was then sold at a scrapyard in Grande Prairie.
Police arrested a 38-year-old Peace River man on April 30, 2022. He has been charged with two counts of possession of stolen property, and mischief over $5,000.
He was released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in Grande Prairie Provincial Court on June 1, 2022.
