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Don'T Drop Lit Cigarettes In Da Woods
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» moondancer replied on Tue Nov 8, 2005 @ 6:17am |
 Coolness: 92400 | NEWS STORY
Man who sparked B.C. forest fire found guilty Greg Joyce Canadian Press Monday, November 07, 2005 KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- A man whose dropped cigarette started a devastating fire that destroyed dozens of homes in 2003 was found guilty Monday. Provincial court Judge William Sundhu said Mike Barre "was not paying attention" when he stomped out a cigarette near his southern Interior home. Barre, 52, was charged with dropping a burning substance within one kilometre of a forest. "I find the evidence presented by the Crown to be credible and reliable," said Sundhu. "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt Mr. Barre dropped a lit cigarette, which caused the subsequent fire. "The evidence strongly leans to the conclusion Mr. Barre was not paying attention ... and failed to direct his mind to the importance of discarding and putting out his cigarette in an appropriate place and manner." Sundhu took 25 minutes to read his 30-page written judgment in a courtroom filled mostly with reporters and some spectators. Barre, who will be sentenced Nov. 29, sat in the front row of the spectators' gallery during the verdict and left the courtroom immediately afterward. He declined to speak to reporters as he walked down the street beyond acknowledging he was glad the case was nearly over. Many area residents stood behind Barre. About 1,400 people signed a petition calling on the Crown to stay the charge against Barre. One of the organizers of the petition said it was designed to show support for the man many believe did all he could in the circumstances to stop the fire from spreading. Barre admitted in court that the fire started just moments after he stomped out a cigarette on a path behind his house. The fire eventually grew to more than 260 square kilometres in size and cost the B.C. Ministry of Forests more than $31 million to fight. Homes and businesses in McLure, Barriere, Louis Creek and other surrounding communities were evacuated. In one afternoon, 73 homes and a major sawmill were destroyed in Louis Creek. © Canadian Press 2005 |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» elka replied on Thu Nov 10, 2005 @ 10:47am |
 Coolness: 52565 | damn. imagine being responsible for that |
Don'T Drop Lit Cigarettes In Da Woods
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