(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
December 24, 2022 - 4:30 PM
A B.C. man is on the hook for $2.3-million for causing a wildfire that destroyed 345 hectares on East Redonda Island, north of Powell River.
Duffy Damgaard was issued a $2,358,272 bill for the fire which took place in August 2018.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Forests, the fire burned on Crown land, which included an ecological reserve.
In October 2021, the B.C. Wildfire Service found that Damgaard had contravened the Wildfire Act by lighting, fuelling or using an open fire in an area subject to an open fire prohibition.
Damgaard was fined $2,500 plus the costs of putting out the fire and the value of the timber destroyed.
The B.C. Wildfire Service spent $386,868 putting the fire out, while the cost of the Crown timber came in at just under $2 million.
According to a Nov. 28 B.C. Forest Appeals Commission decision, Damgaard is appealing and disputes that the large blaze was his fault and that it wasn't reasonable to find that he started the fire. He's also appealing the amount he has to pay.
A Forest Appeals Commission hearing was supposed to take place in early December, but Damgaard appealed and was granted an adjournment.
According to the Campbell River Mirror, fire crews made the decision not to suppress the fire because they were concerned about the effect heavy machinery and chemicals could have on the land.
A new report from the Forest Practices Board says the province has spent $2.7 billion on wildfire suppression in the last decade.
The decision doesn't give a new date for Damgaard's hearing.
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