Canadian man pleads guilty to starting 14 wildfires that impacted 870 hectacres of land

(WDAY Radio) -- A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to starting 14 wildfires that ravaged the landscape between May and September of 2023.

Brian Paré pleaded guilty to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life. Authorities also say they found multiple social media posts of Paré saying the Canadian Government was purposefully igniting the fires so people would believe in climate change. Paré's known fires are expected to have destroyed 870 hectacres of land.

The total Canadian land impacted by fire in 2023 was 18.4 million hectacres, an area close to the size of North Dakota.