Woman charged with arson after suspicious fire causes $1M damage at industrial complex

The damage on Tues., July 8, 2025, following a suspicious fire that ripped through an industrial complex in Collingwood, Ont.

Police have made an arrest in a suspicious fire investigation after a blaze caused roughly $1 million damage in Collingwood earlier this month.

On Wednesday evening, officers with Barrie police located and arrested a 34-year-old woman in connection with the destructive fire, which initially wasn’t believed to be suspicious.

Police said the July 7 fire originated in a storage shed at an industrial complex on Sandford Fleming Drive. It wasn’t until later that morning that police said fire officials discovered surveillance footage that raised concerns about the cause.

The Ontario Fire Marshal was notified and the OPP crime unit launched into an investigation.

“Detectives conducted a detailed review of surveillance video from the area and consulted information available through the OPP’s records management and digital evidence management systems, which includes video footage from recently integrated body-worn camera recordings," OPP stated in a news release on Thursday. “These efforts helped investigators identify an individual connected to the incident and develop grounds to seek an arrest warrant.”

The accused is charged with arson. She was held in police custody overnight to await a bail hearing.