Canada's worst wildfire season in history has led to the creation of a conspiracy theory that alleges environmentalists accidentally set some of the blazes.
In a tweet, Maxime Bernier, a former foreign minister-turned fringe party leader, said a good portion of the wildfires raging across the country were started by green terrorists who want to give their climate change campaign a little boost.
As of 2023, Canada has experienced greater wildfires than any previous year, with more than three million hectares burned. Tens of thousands of people have been resettled as a result of the incident.
On TikTok, a video already viewed almost 20,000 times, claims that the fires in Nova Scotia were set on purpose to push a climate change agenda.
As wildfires spread across Canada, some questioned how all the blazes could have started on the same day. A Facebook video with more than one million views blames a terrorist attack.
Karine Pelletier, of the province's Forest Fire Protection Agency, said the causes are still under investigation.
There are a lot which are caused by humans, but these are almost always accidents, she said, noting that recent lightning strikes were to blame for many of Quebec's wildfires.
Alberta Wildfire said unless lightning is involved, a blaze is classified as human-caused. This does not mean arson, but instead arson.
It may be related to general causes, such as agriculture, forest industry, powerlines, or oil and gas industry, rail or residential wildfires, she said.
Nova Scotia officials have said they are still investigating the origins of the province's fires, which are thought to be human-caused.
In human-caused fires, it can be accidental, intentional or undetermined, said Heather Fairbairn, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Fire Marshal of Nova Scotia. We are seeing the consequences of climate change, which can increase fire risks.