Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged a suspect with arson in connection to a fire that ripped through a Hawkesbury, Ont. apartment building and displaced dozens of residents last fall. The fire broke out at 810 Portelance Ave. in the late evening of Nov. 29, 2025 and affected all 30 units of the social housing building, which was home to 54 residents. OPP had called the fire suspicious at the time. A report for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell said over half of the impacted units did not have tenant insurance and cost the municipality over $1 million in damages. On Wednesday, OPP announced a 41-year-old woman from Hawkesbury has been charged with arson – disregard for human life in connection with the fire. The charges have not been proven in court. She has been released and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in L’Orignal next month.
