Hall Lake man fined for starting 2015 wildfires

Nov 24, 2017 | 11:00 AM

A 22-year-old Hall Lake man was recently ordered to pay thousands of dollars after admitting to intentionally lighting wildfires in 2015.

Donald Halkett Jr. pleaded guilty to a charge of mischief as well as failing to comply with a fire ban, according to the Saskatchewan Environment Ministry. Halkett confessed to flicking lit wooden matches into the brush as he was walking along a rural trial near Hall Lake, which is 100 km west of La Ronge, and firefighters had to contain four separate fires.

Halkett was handed a six-month conditional sentence which included a curfew and a condition barring him from possessing or consuming alcohol. He was also ordered to pay $41,393 in restitution to compensate the province for the costs of extinguishing the fires, and will need to complete 100 hours of community service.

A Ministry of Environment spokesperson said more details on the case and the investigation by conservation officers will be released later today.