Man charged in devastating Shelburne County wildfire pleads not guilty

The 22-year-old man charged in connection with the largest wildfire in Nova Scotia's history has pleaded not guilty.

Dalton Clark Stewart of Villagedale, N.S.,did not appear before Judge James Burrill in Shelburne provincial court on Tuesday.

His lawyer,Philip Star, appeared virtually and entered not guilty pleas to three charges on his client's behalf.

Stewart was chargedunder the Forests Act following an investigation into the Barrington Lake wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes and displaced thousands of people last year.

He is facing the following charges:

• Lighting a fire on privately owned land without permission of the owner or occupier;
• Failing to take reasonable efforts to prevent the spread of a fire;
• Leaving a fire unattended.

Stewart is due backin court in June to set a date for a trial.