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Image via Hallmark Channel
Lorianne Palinkas has been a reality television writer for Screen Rant for four years. After teaching middle school English for twenty years, she knows a thing or two about high drama, complicated alliances, and even singing competitions. Growing up in New York City gave her a solid foundation in the arts and culture.
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In When Calls the Heart season 13 episode 2, "Up in Smoke," a devastating fire threatened Hope Valley, leaving everyone wondering how the blaze began. When smoke was first spotted, Hope Valley's citizens began doing everything in their power to save their town, but they soon realized that they had no choice but to evacuate. Fortunately for them, a change in the wind's direction spared the town and they were able to stay, but, tragically, the nearby town of Benson Hills was destroyed, along with the newly created Goldie National Park and the brand-new playhouse.
After the initial shock of the tragedy, followed by everyone's gratefulness that there were no fatalities, Hope Valley's mayor, Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith), went to Governor Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally), Judge Bill Avery (Jack Wagner), and Constable Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry), to discuss how the fire started. His theory was that A.J. McGinty (Kevin McNulty) started the fire. A.J. opposed the national park and other changes in the town, and he even made a veiled threat about it to Bill during season 13 episode 1, stating "see how this works for you, Avery."
Lee pointed out that there was no lightning, as well as no trains near the ridge, so there was nothing that could've sparked the fire. He questioned how the national park could've burned down the night before it opened, and insisted that it couldn't have been a coincidence. Lee vowed that he wouldn't rest until A.J. was behind bars, but is he really the culprit?
Cooper and Toby Might've Accidentally Set The Fire That Destroyed Benson Hills
Credit: Ricardo Hubbs / Hallmark MediaAlthough Lee is focused on A.J. as the one who started the fire, the preview for When Calls the Heart season 13 episode 3 hinted that perhaps Cooper Canfield (Elias Leacock) and Toby (Billy Christos Jr.) might be responsible for the blaze. They'd gone for a hike before the fire started, along with Opal Weise (Ava Grace Cooper) and Allie Grant (Jaeda Lily Miller), in order to check the trail markers at Goldie National Park. Cooper had commented that he brought stew and cornbread for them to eat in case they got hungry.
The children split up into pairs during the hike to cover more ground, with Opal and Allie taking one path, and Cooper and Toby going a different way. They had to be rescued from the blaze, but they were all fine. At the end of the episode, when Cooper gave his mother, Minnie (Natasha Burnett) a hug, he had a worried look on his face. At first, it seemed as though he was traumatized by his experience with the fire, but the coming attractions indicated that there might be more to it.
Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) was shown talking to Cooper and Toby, who seemed downtrodden. She told them that they'd seemed "awful quiet" that day. It's possible that the boys had started a campfire to heat up their stew, and it accidentally burned out of control. They might be feeling guilty because they know that the fire was their fault. It's also possible that Cooper and Toby think that they're responsible for the tragedy, but someone or something else actually started the fire.
Lee Might Be Right About A.J. McGinty Starting The Fire
Image via Hallmark ChannelAlthough it seems too obvious for the When Calls the Heart arsonist to be A.J., Lee might be right about his theory. A.J. was opposed to Goldie National Park because he used the land for his cattle to graze. He felt that the park was giving prime ranch land to tourists. However, Bill reminded A.J. that he'd blocked his fellow ranchers from accessing the land in order to fleece them. A.J. has previously tried to stop the creation of the park, but lost the battle.
It's possible that A.J. set fire to the park in order to take his revenge. Bill told Lee and Nathan that he'd been "nosing around all summer, trying to stir up trouble." When Lee said that he thought that they'd dealt with him, Bill replied that "sometimes it's the old wounded lion you've got to worry about." Still, it seems that A.J. is a red herring, and the actual cause of the fire won't be him.
Other Suspects In The When Calls The Heart Fire
Image via Hallmark ChannelIt's possible that a third suspect is to blame for the fire, such as the electric company, which installed Hope Valley's first-ever stoplight in When Calls the Heart season 13 episode 1. Henry Gowen's (Martin Cummins) son, Christopher (James Drew Dean), works for the electric company, and even commented to Henry that his boss steals his ideas.
Christopher's boss could blame him if the electric company is at fault for sparking the fire, which would be a shame because Christopher finally seems to be turning his life around. However, it could kick off a whole new storyline for Henry and his son.
There's also a chance that whoever started the fire is a character who hasn't been introduced in When Calls the Heart yet. In addition, although it might frustrate Lee because he wants someone to blame for destroying the national park named for his daughter and the playhouse that was created for his wife, Rosemary (Pascal Hutton), who used to be an actress, the fire could've started due to natural causes.
It would be heartbreaking if it turned out that Cooper and Toby accidentally sparked the fire because they're good boys who'd never harm anyone. Hopefully, this won't be the case. On the other hand, it would be very predictable if A.J. turned out to be the guilty party. Whatever happens next, "Up in Smoke" was one of the best episodes of When Calls the Heart in the show's history, and it's now ignited interest in a whole new mystery.
When Calls the Heart airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
Release Date January 11, 2014
Network Hallmark Channel
Directors Neill Fearnley, Peter DeLuise, Siobhan Devine, Martin Wood, Alysse Leite-Rogers, Anne Wheeler, Kristin Lehman
Writers Lindsay Sturman, Derek Thompson, Paul Redford, Derek Thompson, John Tinker, Robin Bernheim Burger, Tony Blake, Joy Gregory, Neal H. Dobrofsky, Tippi Dobrofsky, Josef Anderson, Ken LaZebnik, Richard Manning, Charles Lazer, John Wierick, Sheryl J. Anderson, Vanessa Parise, Cindy Kelley, Ken Craw, Andrea Stevens, Liam Fearnley, Ayla Glass, Kim Beyer-Johnson, Jon Nappa
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Erin Krakow
Elizabeth Thatcher
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Pascale Hutton
Rosemary LeVeaux
English (US) ·