Blaze devours CN Rail bridge: suspected arson after 17th fire in 6 days

[Chad]

is it like those multiple 'teenage arson fires' that happened over a few days in Scotland - in the highlands... - (and the place looks pretty rural) or something more sinister? I have no idea but it's odd.

Blaze devours CN Rail bridge: Canadian police suspect arson after 17th fire in 6 days (VIDEO)
Published time: 27 Apr, 2016 07:52
Edited time: 27 Apr, 2016 18:39
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A massive fire in Canada has engulfed the CN Rail trestle bridge in the community of Mayerthorpe, Alberta. An investigation is underway as this is the 17th suspicious fire in the last six days.

According to police, the fire, which destroyed the bridge some 120km northwest of Edmonton, southern Canada, could have been set deliberately.

"It is suspicious in nature,” fire chief Randy Schroeder told CBC. "There were some witnesses that indicated people were in the area at the time of the fire."

The area has seen no fewer than 17 fires in the last six days, and the police are now vigorously investigating each incident.

The following video shows the wooden bridge being completely incinerated by the flames, with black smoke billowing up into the sky.

Nearby businesses, schools and a trailer park with 38 homes were evacuated.

"When we got here, it was a relatively small fire," Mayerthorpe resident Quinn White told the Canadian news source. "We could still feel it from across the tracks. Within an hour it was just engulfed in flames.”

He described the entire construction as having fallen down.

The first of the firefighters and some rail workers arrived on Tuesday at 1:30pm local time to fight the flames. By 3 p.m., air support from Alberta Forestry was called in, according to the Edmonton Journal.

A total of 24 wildfire firefighters, a helicopter and one air tanker group were used to contain the blaze.

There were no injuries and people were able to just close their windows and vents to avoid breathing in hazardous fumes. Residents were told they could return home about 4:24 p.m., when the first fire was contained.

Youtube: 1 of 3 videos of the fire

Trestle Fire Mayerthorpe Alberta original footage

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[Chad]

From RT's FB comments:

Marshall Pagacz:
Hold up RT. In the article it says "The area has seen no fewer than 17 fires in the last six days..." but then you show suspicious fires from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. You do realize that is pretty much completely across the country right? Something like 4000kms away.

 

[Chad]

Apparently the fire which took out the bridge was the former mayors son, who was also a firefighter...

Former Mayerthorpe mayor defends son accused of arson in CN fire

19-year-old Lawson Schalm helped extinguish the fires he allegedly set, fire chief says

By Andrea Ross, CBC News Posted: May 01, 2016 11:09 AM MT Last Updated: May 01, 2016 3:35 PM MT

Lawson Schalm, now 19, is pictured in an image from a Facebook page listed under his name. Schalm started working for the Mayerthorpe, Alta., fire department when he was 15, and now faces arson charges relating to numerous fires.



A former Mayerthorpe mayor says he remains supportive of his firefighter son, who faces 18 counts of arson for a spree of major fires he allegedly started in the Alberta town.

The charges against 19-year-old Lawson Schalm are related to numerous suspicious fires in the area [but this is interesting as some of those fires weren't nearby according to the previous posted comment] that began on April 19, including a massive one that destroyed the CN trestle bridge.

On Sunday, Mayerthorpe fire Chief Randy Schroeder confirmed Schalm was one of the firefighters called to actively battle that fire, as well as four other fires during the course of the spree.

"There's an unconditional love for my son," Albert Schalm said, his voice trembling. "No matter how this ends up, there will always be a dinner plate at my table for my son. He is always welcome in my home."

Albert Schalm said his son began working for the Mayerthorpe fire department when he was 15 years old and was considering a possible future with the department.

"We were shocked," he said. "He was planning out his future and where it would go from there, and obviously some of that will be on hold for a while."

Schalm is in custody and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Stony Plain provincial court on Wednesday.

[images of the bridge on page]

Fire department shocked, chief says

The CN bridge fire forced the evacuation of nearby schools and a trailer park with 38 mobile homes. Some Lac St. Anne County residents living nearby were also told to be ready to leave on one-hour notice.

Fire chief Schroeder said last week almost three dozen firefighters from four different fire departments in the area were called to help douse the flames, alongside agriculture and forestry services members, helicopters and a water bomber.

The loss of the bridge will impact the lumber and oil industries "extensively," Schroeder said.

He said the fire department is struggling to come to terms with the charges against one of their own.

"We're certainly very shocked, bewildered, wounded and a little hurt on the discovery of this," he said. "The discovery that one of our own potentially lit 18 fires is definitely affecting our station, for sure."

Schroeder and Mayerthorpe Mayor Kate Patrick said in a news release that members of the fire department will undergo "critical incident stress debriefing," and that individual counselling will be available to all members over word of the charges.

Schroeder said the department is still functioning normally and providing service as usual for the community, and also extending their support to the Schalm family.

"We understand that this has got to be a tremendously trying time for his family members," he said.
'There will always be a dinner plate at my table for my son'

Albert Schalm said he hasn't yet been able to speak with his son, but that the community has been supportive of the family.

Schalm was mayor of Mayerthorpe in 2005, when four RCMP officers were shot and killed near the town.

"This is a community that I've poured my heart and soul into. Moving this community forward, that's still going to continue."
- Albert Schalm, father of accused in Mayerthorpe, Alta., arsons

"We're thankful that this is over for the community, and for ourselves and for everybody, and that nobody got hurt, there were no serious injuries. You have to be really thankful for that.

"This is a community that I've poured my heart and soul into. Moving this community forward, that's still going to continue."

Schalm's son was expected to graduate high school in two months, and the family is now focusing on their son's future, Schalm said.

Despite what he calls a "dark period," he said his family's focus will remain on his son, and their Christian faith.

"We refuse to be devastated by this. I refuse to throw my son under the bus. I'm not that kind of dad. My goal is to get him back on the road, get his future going again."

Also from May 1st. Is it wildfire season? I thought temps both in Canada/North America and Europe/UK had been below average? Someone may have a better idea than myself. The article doesn't attribute it to suspected arson and only notes that the winds are increasing the danger and that there have been other fires in the area. According to Googlemaps it's a 4 hour drive between the Mayerhtorpe above and Fort Mcmurray in the article below:

Fort McMurray wildfires force evacuations

Fort McMurray mayor declares 'localized state of emergency' for neighbourhood threatened by wildfire

By Mack Lamoureux, CBC News Posted: May 01, 2016 5:55 PM MT Last Updated: May 02, 2016 1:23 AM MT

An out of control fire is burning only a few kilometres away from Fort McMurray.

The Regional Fire Chief of Wood Buffalo, Darby Allen, is warning that the fire may hit the urban area overnight.

"One of the problems right now is the wind direction is changing quite erratically. So the wind direction might change and it might go in a different way," Allen said.

"So right now it may not hit town until tomorrow morning but if it keeps going the way it's going, [the fire] will come."

Melissa Blake, the mayor of Fort McMurray has declared a "localized state of emergency" for the Gregoire neighbourhood.
For Mac Fire

The Regional Fire Chief of Wood Buffalo Darby Allen is warning that the fire may hit the town overnight. (Chris Vandenbreekel)

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Prairie Creek and Centennial Trailer Park, a voluntary evacuation is being encouraged in Gregoire.

Prairie Creek has a population of 500 people and Gregoire 4,000. The evacuation centre is located at MacDonald Island.

The fire has burned about 130 hectares
Expected to hit Gregoire

If the fire does hit the city, it is expected to hit the far corner of Gregoire.

Fighting a wildfire at night is far more dangerous than during the day so the waterbombers will have to stop when the there is no light left and the firefighters will have to exit the forest and fight it from the trailer park.
Gregoire neighbourhood

The municipality of Wood Buffalo has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the neighbourhood of Gregoire. (Danielle Lamoureux)

"We will be in firefighting mode within McMurray should the fire hit McMurray," said Allen. "So we have all our stuff in place and ready to go should the fire hit town."

There are two other fires in the Fort McMurray area but both are under control.

​According to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry there are four helicopters and airtankers working to contain the wildfires.

Cpl. George Cameron with the Wood Buffalo RCMP said people are asked to stay away from the areas.

"I know people love to watch and see the waterbombers and everything, but if they go up to the area and watch the fire all they're doing is hindering the fire department," he explained.
'It blotted out the sun'

Brandon Serroul was staying at the Fort McMurray rehabilitation centre in Gregoire when they were evacuated. He said Alberta Health Services called and told them to evacuate immediately.

"The supervisors for the program said there was an advisory and we should prepare to evacuate," said Serroul.

"Not even fifteen minutes later the smoke just started billowing, it blotted out the sun. Next thing we know we're all just getting in our vehicles. "

Serroul said that he, and the other people in the program, were able to get a room at a local hotel.
'Fires don't usually come this close to town'

Chris Vandenbreekel, a radio station news director, spent a portion of the day on a service road just off highway 63 near TaigaNova business park watching one of the under control fires.

He said he heard a lot of chainsaws, helicopters and planes and smelled "a lot of smoke."

Vandenbreekel said the wind is gusting in an eastern direction and is bringing the fire closer to the town.

"There is a lot of tension, a lot of worry," Vandenbreekel said. "Fires don't usually come this close to town so everyone is watching with bated breath."

The fires come one day after the forest fire risk level in Fort McMurray was raised from low to very high. Fires also burned in the area on Friday and Saturday.