Series of field fires suggest possible arson

The first fire of 2023 happened in mid-April. The second and third occurred over the Victoria Day and Canada Day long weekends.

Merlin-area grain farmer Blake Vince first thought it was happenstance, then coincidence. Now he wonders if a bad actor has been putting flame to his residue-heavy fields.

If his concerns are true, he wouldn’t be the only farmer to become a target of rural arson. While such incidents in Ontario farm country are few, they can have consequences far beyond damage to crops and fields.

Why it matters: Arson in farm fields is not common but purposely set fires in dry field residue or crops can be very damaging, costly and dangerous to the wider community.

The three incidents on Vince’s farm occurred in two adjacent fields away from main roads. There are few houses nearby, and those in the vicinity do not face the area where fires occurred. There is a windmill in the middle, and a laneway affording easy access to the centre of the furthest field.

The only other features of note are a nearby gravel road, hydro poles, and in parts of the year, an abundance of crop residue – evidence of Vince’s long-standing focus on no-till, soil health, and the incorporation of cover crops.

“We filed a police report back in the spring already, after the first fire, because it was actually fire number two. The first fire took place three years ago, and it was the same thing – corn stalks, in the same exact field.

“Then this April, when it was hot and dry, it was the second fire,” said Vince in early August. “You know you get kind of suspicious, saying ‘OK, what’s going on? Is this an arsonist? Just a nuisance?

“What really started to concern me was when I had my tractor attached to my air seeder in the field. That was the holiday Monday, Victoria Day. Just sitting here parked. Again they lit the corn stalks up, and with a calculation that the wind was going to blow the flame towards that tractor and air seeder.

“That’s what really caught my attention, it wasn’t just an act of being a nuisance per say. To add insult to injury, we then had another fire the long weekend in July where they lit up cover crop residue where I had an actively growing corn crop. Again, it seems more calculating at this point. It’s got you on edge.”

Arson uncommon — but possible

Rural arson in farm fields is not unheard of, although it is rare. Dave McEachran, firefighter, first responder trainer and retired farmer from Glencoe, said the most common cause of farm fires is electrical problems in barns and other buildings.

In the field, lightning strikes or the occasional roadside cigarette butt have been known to burn crops and residue.

When fires are intentionally set, those responsible are not necessarily arsonists as most would understand and interpret the term, he said. More likely it’s a result of mischief and a one-off incident. The perpetrators often scare themselves with the results of their actions. A recent case in McEachran’s area involving in-field straw bales, for example, likely originated in this way.

However, the danger cannot be dismissed.

“It had been recently baled. I think there was some red clover under seeded, so that helped matters, and the fact that it had rained… The risk is those fires can move very quickly. They can and will spread into residential areas and lead to massive disasters.

“It’s not something we should be naïve about in southern Ontario alone. The weather we experienced in the first half of the crop season, there was extreme fire risk at that time,” says McEachran, adding the field fire in question originated from two separate straw bales, both showing intentional ignition.
“When someone lights a fire, they always leave a fingerprint of some sort.”

Part of a fire department’s job is identifying that fingerprint when the cause of a fire is unknown or suspicious. While steps can be taken to extinguish fires without compromising potential evidence about origin, McEachran says the problem for Glencoe and other rural fire services is determining where to spend limited resources.

If there are no suspicions or indications of foul play in a field fire or outbuilding and wider community impact is low, investigations might be short.

“The real cost is to the rest of the community. If a volunteer fire department has to deal with four or five big fires in a community, it costs tax dollars, it exhausts the firefighters themselves… You can really begin to tax a crew of firefighters when there are other emergencies in an area, whether car accidents or medical calls,” says McEachran.

Communication is critical

With Vince’s case in mind, McEachran said property owners who have experienced multiple or otherwise suspicious incidents should notify their local fire chief. This keeps authorities informed in case an arsonist is active in the area.

Contacting local authorities was one of the first things Vince did after the fire in 2023. But after three successive fires, plus the initial occurrence three years prior, he wonders why someone might target him.

“Have I done something to offend someone? Or is it perhaps a mental illness that, for whatever reason, the quiet road where the farm is located, they’re just doing something to gain attention or have some kind of satisfaction?

“As a property owner in general, as farmers when we have our assets hanging out in the wind on display, you know it makes you concerned. Are there bigger risks at play, whether it’s buildings or other machinery related assets?”

Beyond staying vigilant and in communication with local authorities, Vince wonders how to prevent future incidents. Cameras could help, but there are few places to install them. The wind turbine company does not seem interested in attaching anything to infrastructure, and cameras on roadside hydro poles would be plainly visible.

He hopes making the issue public will help raise awareness.

“Perhaps it’s someone that has a grievance towards wind turbines. I hope it’s not something I have done personally to cause an individual or individuals to try and seek some sort of resolution,” said Vince.

“Let’s be adults about this. Let’s come to a space whereby we can agree to disagree and move forward, or come to some sort of a resolution where we’re not perpetuating this problem.”