A Teenage Firefighter In Alberta Is Charged With Setting 18 Fires

Lawson Schalm is also the son of the town's former mayor.

A 19-year-old firefighter has been charged with 18 counts of arson in Mayerthorpe, Alberta. Lawson Schalm is accused of setting a string of recent fires, including one that destroyed a historic rail bridge worth millions.

Lawson Schalm / Facebook

Lawson Schalm / Facebook

Schalm is a member of Mayerthorpe’s volunteer fire department, and his father Albert Schalm is the town’s former mayor. According to CBC News, he has been involved with the fire department since age 15.

Firefighters responded to 18 different fires in and around Mayerthorpe since April 19, most of them grass fires. There were also a handful of flare-ups after those initial fires that had to be put out.

On April 26, the CN Rail trestle bridge on the outskirts of town was completely destroyed in a massive fire.

Town of Mayerthorpe

It took four fire departments, helicopters, and a water bomber to extinguish. Schalm was among the firefighters to respond that day.

A spokesperson for the RCMP in Mayerthorpe told BuzzFeed Canada the value of the bridge was $3 million to $4 million, citing a CN estimate. It was also vital to the lumber and oil industries.

Town of Mayerthorpe

Schalm was arrested and charged on April 30, and he has his first court date on Wednesday in Stony Plain.

The mayor and fire chief of Mayerthorpe issued a joint statement saying "the department and the community are in a current state of shock."

"The Fire Department and Town officials will handle this situation with understanding, compassion and the desire and wish that Lawson Schalm receive the help he needs."