Investigation into Barrington Lake wildfire still underway, no charges or tickets issued yet
No charges or fines have yet come out of the Shelburne County wildfire in May, but the investigation is ongoing into the blaze that burned more than 23,000 hectares of land and destroyed 93 buildings, including 49 homes.
More than 6,000 people were forced from their home by the fire.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Chris Marshall said that the most recent media update being provided is via the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables from Aug. 24. The investigation is ongoing, with the cause and origin reports from DNRRl being forwarded to the department’s conservation officers service.
Evidence is still being gathered. The service would lay any charges under the Forests Act, while criminal charges would come from the RCMP.
“It’s with conservation (service), and if they determine there is something criminal, they will refer it to us for any additional follow up and the laying of criminal charges,” Marshall said. “If there is just something under the Forest Act, they’ll deal with it themselves.”
The RCMP has assisted with the taking of some statements as part of the investigation.
Marshall said police are aware of online videos and accusations about the cause of the fire and people being responsible. However, he said rumours that RCMP have taken people into protective custody or moved them out of province are not true.
“Like most things, there are lots of rumours and lots of information floating around out there,” he said, adding that not all rumours in any case are true.
The fire, identified as the Barrington Lake Fire, started on May 27 and grew for more than a week before it was held and didn’t expand any further. It was declared under control June 13, but was not declared fully out until several weeks later. It is the largest fire recorded in the province’s history.
