Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

BEHCHOKO/RAE-EDZO - The Behchoko fire department is offering a reward of $2,000 for information leading the arrest of arsonists responsible for setting around 20 fires in the community over the past year.

"We think its a small group of youth who have set the fires," said Behchoko fire Chief Terry Testart. "The evidence is clear that these fires were set deliberately."

Behchoko fire Chief Terry Testart speaks at a press briefing July 21 in Edzo.

Testart said the problem began last summer.

Craig Yeo, communications co-ordinator for the community government of Behchoko, said an 11 p.m. curfew for youth 16 years and under has had little affect on preventing additional fires. The curfew was implemented at the beginning of the year.

He said the local government can only do so much to stop the fires and community assistance is vital.

Testart said the reward is to encourage witnesses to come forward and provide evidence so the perpetrators can be caught.

"It's been sheds and warehouses and a couple house fires that have been set, we've handled a couple brush fires, too, but mostly they've been structural fires," said Testart.

"In all cases we put the shed fires out, but the contents have been so badly damaged that the they were lost," said Testart.

On Saturday afternoon when the community of Edzo was on evacuation notice because of a forest fire burning south of the community Behchoko fire department was called to another shed fire in Rae.

"The owner lost his entire hunting kit - guns, ammunition, sleep rolls, tents - he lost everything."

Testart said any fire is definitely a dangerous situation.

"We're very, very fortunate that no one has been hurt or killed," he said.

Yeo said another shed fire in the community happened 13 hours later, in the early morning hours on Sunday.

He said in both cases fire fighters were on the scene in five minutes, he praised their efforts.

"The curfew gives legal instrument to take someone off the street," said Yeo.

He warned that under the curfew by-law parents could be held responsible for the actions of their children.