# Source note — Knox Mountain arson sentence / The Really Big Show update

Prepared: 2026-08-11  
Updated: 2026-08-14 for Instagram Reel `Db82Aa1DOev` / The Really Big Show / Stockwell Day source lead.

## New social lead

- User supplied: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db82Aa1DOev/?igsh=NGs3NjNqcXQ4b3Nk
- Canonical Instagram URL: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db82Aa1DOev/
- Account: `therlybigshow` / The Really Big Show
- Instagram caption: “Stockwell Day: Arsonist caught for Knox Mountain fires. Sentenced to 21 months. A concerning message for wildfire safety and tourism.”
- Browser video duration: about 78.8 seconds.
- Facebook/source duplicate found: The Really Big Show video titled “Arsonist Jail Time Sparks Outrage: Is Punishment Too Light?” / “Stockwell Day: A shocking sentence handed down for the Knox Mountain fires. The arsonist received 21 months.”
- Video-download caveat: `yt-dlp` returned an empty Instagram media response, but browser playback worked. BCFires preserved browser metadata and frame screenshots rather than rehosting the video.

## Earlier social lead preserved

- Earlier user-supplied source: BetterBC Facebook repost / “Knox Mountain arsonist gets 21-month prison sentence.”
- Browser-visible post text said Robert Teal, 49, pleaded guilty and received a 21-month sentence.

## Key sources checked

- Castanet sentencing report, story 627621: 21-month sentence; guilty plea to arson damaging property and assault; Judge Andrew Tam sentencing context.
- Castanet guilty-plea report, story 624297: Oct. 24, 2025 incident details, construction-worker/slingshot report, dry/windy conditions, fire response, court arguments.
- Kelowna Capital News July 2026 report: guilty plea in B.C. Provincial Court and charge context.
- CTV Vancouver / Kelowna Oct. 2025 report: Robert Austin Teal charged with arson and assaulting a peace officer with a weapon after fires on Knox Mountain.
- The Really Big Show Facebook video page: show/title/context for the Stockwell Day segment and engagement/video title.
- BC Wildfire Service reporting/causes context: human-caused fire is not automatically arson; arson requires police/court/investigator support.

## Publication decision

Because this is supported by a public police/court/reporting trail, BCFires names Robert Teal / Robert Austin Teal. That is different from rumour-only posts where an alleged fire starter is named by social-media users but not by police, investigators or court reporting.

## Photo/source-visual decision

BCFires did **not** reuse a private/social-profile-style Facebook photo of Robert Teal. Instead, the update uses:

- public Instagram/browser frame screenshots from The Really Big Show source lead;
- a BCFires-generated source-visual sheet with the public show frames and evidence labels;
- the existing BCFires SVG source-card graphic.

This satisfies the source-context need without turning a private profile image into a public shaming asset.

## Evidence labels

- `supported by court/reporting trail`: named person, guilty plea, 21-month prison sentence, arson-damaging-property / assault charges.
- `supported by show/source trail`: The Really Big Show / Stockwell Day segment criticized the sentence as too light for wildfire/interface-fire risk.
- `not supported / overgeneralization`: using one court-supported arson case to claim most B.C. wildfires are arson.
- `unsupported social-comment claim`: comments alleging hidden paymasters, political conspiracies, or generalized motives are not evidence.