LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche RCMP have made an arrest in connection to a house fire on Dec. 5 that forced two area residents — one of them disabled — from the flames and into freezing weather.
A 19 year old man from Westlock was arrested in Lac La Biche on December 18 and faces charges including arson and aggravated assault stemming from the fire that completely destroyed a home on the Elinor Lake Road about 30 kilometres south of the Lac La Biche hamlet.
Two people — a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s —were inside the building when the early afternoon fire erupted. RCMP tell Lakeland This Week that the man arrested was not a resident of the house, but police wouldn't comment if the accused is known to the victims or if he had been inside the home prior to the blaze.
"At this time we can’t speculated what the accused did prior to the fire," said Lac La Biche RCMP Const. Cassandra Calverley.
Blood trail from the fire
The two people inside the home, including a man with mobility issues, were spotted standing near the burning building by an off-duty Lac La Biche County peace officer driving by in his private vehicle. He quickly drove towards them, pulling the man to his vehicle, while the woman made her way to the occupants of another vehicle that had stopped to help.
Speaking to Lakeland This Week in the days after the incident, peace officer Warren Young said the man was unable to walk due to a disability, and was bleeding from large, deep cuts to his arms. The man was also not dressed for the minus 30 degree temperatures of the day.
"He was wearing shorts and a little shirt — and then there was blood. Lots of blood. He was bleeding a lot," said Young, explaining that as he pulled the man up the driveway to his vehicle, a trail of blood fell behind them.
Young was soon joined by two more community peace officers — Melissa Young and Austin Zedel. Both were on shift and had been dispatched to the call. The three officers got both victims into their vehicles and provided medical assistance until an ambulance and other emergency crews arrived at the scene.
"We stabilized him until EMS arrived," said Zedel, who was a medical technician in the armed forces prior to becoming a peace officer.
The officers used the contents of two first-aid bags in their vehicles, including large gauze pads, heat pads and blankets.
From the time Young first spotted the smoke from the fire and pulled the man to safety, to when the other peace officers arrived, was less than five minutes. Less than 10 minutes later fire, RCMP and ambulance crews were at the scene.
"It was just minutes, but it felt much longer," said Young, thankful that the injuries to the victims, although serious, weren't worse.
Dealing rapidly with a structure fire, injured victims and the freezing temperatures all at one call, the officers say the relied on their training and experience.
"It's the critical incident training — so you know how to breathe, how to keep calm, keep each other calm and how to keep victims calm," said Young.
At the time, none of the peace officers commented on the cause of the fire or the origin of the male victim's injuries.
Lac La Biche County's Fire Rescue Services officials later determined the source of the house fire was suspicious in nature.
Lac La Biche RCMP took on the investigation, leading to the arrest of the suspect last week. RCMP have not released the names or current medical condition of either victim from the fire.
Nicholas Pelletier, 19, of Westlock is facing charges of arson, disregard for human life and aggravated assault. Following a judicial hearing, Pelletier was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in Lac La Biche Provincial Court on Jan. 16, 2023.
