Third Canadian Firefighter Arrested for Arson Spree

Police have charged a rookie firefighter with arson following a months-long investigation into a series of fires in rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. 

Firefighters responded to 11 fires in Florence in May and June and police began an investigation into the unusual number of fires in the community of 2,000.

Gary Richard Luker, 33, was charged with two counts of arson on Thursday, according to The National Post.

Florence firefighters James “Jamie” MacDonald, 24, and Stephen Tremblett, 49, were arrested in August.

The trio is responsible for 16 fires that destroyed brush, cars and unoccupied buildings.

The newspaper reports that the firefighters also helped battle the fires.

"We were heartbroken and felt betrayed, ” Fire Chief Dave Julian Jr. said. “We were like a family."

“I’ve been asking around to police and family and nobody can answer,” Julian said of the reason they set the fires. “There’s no financial gain. Most (of them) were just old buildings.”