Accused Milltown arsonist a quiet, reclusive man, say neighbours

Accused arsonist Donald Craig MacHaight was a quiet man, oneyou wouldn't often see or speak with.

He kept to himself, did not have a vehicle, and rarelyimposed on neighbours, according to a woman who livednext door to his home in Morrisville, N.L.

TraceyDrew, who can see MacHaight's home from her living room, says she was terrified to learn that the 48-year-old man allegedly set fire to three crucial buildings in the Bay d'Espoir region onTuesday morning.

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MacHaightis facing three charges of arson in relation to the firesat the Milltown-Bayd'Espoir town hall, Bay d'Espoir academy and the Bay d'EspoirRCMP detachment.

"I was in total shock, total panic," Drew told CBC News on Wednesday. "I live right across the road from the guy that's suspected to have done this. So it wasn't a good feeling."

Drew saidMacHaight was rarely seen in the town. He'd walk from Morrisville to nearby Milltown, about seven kilometres,to pick up groceries, except when he caught a ride with Drew or others.

Morrisville, a small town in the Bay d'Espoir region onNewfoundland's south coast, is home to 130 people. Milltown-Headof Bay d'Espoir, the neighbouring community 12kilometres away, has a population of 865.

"I've picked him up, on several occasions," she said. "He was very quiet and stuff. I mean, most people tried to help him, wherever possible."

"At night his house was never lit up or anything. You didn't see anything of him, pretty much, not at all."

Melvin Kendall, another neighbour, saidMacHaightresisted conversationand didn't seem to like interacting with others.

"He's a hard person to get to know, you know. I tried to make conversations with him a couple of dozentimes," he said."But he'll only say 'yes' and 'no,'and that's it. That's all the words he'll say."

Kendall saidwhen he would walk down the roads in Morrisville, MacHaight would step off the pavement on to the grass to give himself space.

MacHaight, whois set to appear in court again on Thursday, has no criminal record.

Volunteer duringfloods

Both Kendall and Drew said MacHaightstepped up in a big way during October's devastating floods, volunteering and helping others even though he had only recently moved into the town.

The remnants of Hurricane Matthew hit Newfoundland hard in October, causing millions of dollars in damage across the island. In Morrisville, lawns were ripped up, structures were destroyed and some buildings werepushed into the river.

About 200 millimetres of rain was measured in the nearby town of Conne River.

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Drew saidthe man began to "come out of his shell, kind of, for a few weeks." He'd help other residents clean up their property, was unpacking supplies from the dock, and came to the fire hall for lunches.

"It was different, and a lot of people commented,'My gosh, you know, he's outside, and that's good that he's out interacting with the community,'" said Drew.

But Kendall said MacHaighthad trouble getting financialassistance after flooding at his own residence destroyeda snowmobile, lawn mowerandbicycle.

"He lost everything, and they were not giving any help," said Kendall.

Drew saidshe's finding it "really hard" to cope with the situation first the flooding in October, and now the fires.

"It's just so much happening, we don't seem to catch a break," she said."And this is someone that lived next door to you."

"It's scary to think what might be going through someone's head."

Drew saidshe has empathy for the man, and believes he may need support. But, she also feels that should he be convicted, there should be a punishment.