Man previously convicted in church fires charged in connection with 5 infill fires

A man previously convicted in fires at two Wetaskiwin churches has been charged in connection with five infill fires in Edmonton.

A man convicted of arson multiple times is facing dozens of charges in connection to a series of infill fires in Edmonton last fall.

On May 27, Peter Jones, 40, was charged with 27 criminal offences including five counts of arson with disregard for human life, five counts of break-and-enter to commit arson, five counts of possession of property obtained by crime, and four counts of trafficking in property obtained by crime.

Police began investigating after a pattern of suspicious fires at infill construction sites in established neighbourhoods last October and November.

Five buildings under construction were set on fire during that time in the following areas:

• 115 Street and 77 Avenue;
• 90 Avenue and 98 Street;
• 116 Street and 77 Avenue;
• 74 Avenue and 118A Street; and
• 71 Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive.

While no injuries were reported, several of the fires posed serious risk to nearby occupied homes, resulting in evacuations and property damage beyond the construction sites.

An Edmonton Police Service (EPS) investigation led to the identification of Jones as a suspect.

He was arrested on Nov. 13 for parole violations.

As a result of the arrest, Jones’ parole was revoked and he remained in custody while police continued to investigate the fires.

He was still in custody when the charges were laid and he remains incarcerated.

“Arson causes serious risk, particularly in residential areas, where fires can spread rapidly and place both responding personnel and the public in danger,” Insp. Jonathan Morrison said in a news release.

“The EPS has a specialized team of investigators who work closely with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services to determine the cause of suspicious fires and identify those responsible.”

Anyone with information about suspicious fires is urged to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567.

In 2010, Jones was convicted on arson and break-and-enter charges and sentenced to four years in prison in connection with fires that destroyed the Wetaskiwin First United Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wetaskiwin.

He claimed he was under stress at the time of the fires.

He was back in court on arson charges again in December 2014 and then in February 2015, but in both cases the charges were withdrawn.

In 2019 he was convicted of arson, possession of stolen property under $5,000, theft under $5,000, break-and-enter, and mischief.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of the convictions but later released on parole.