Charges laid in string of deliberately set fires in Alberta, including fire that destroyed church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cherry Grove, Alta. was destroyed by fire on April 28, 2023. (Credit: Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority)

An Alberta man has been charged in connection with a string of suspicious fires, including one that destroyed a church in late April.

In August 2022, police began an investigation into several wildfires in the Hilda Lake, Cold Lake Provincial Park, Ardmore, and Cherry Grove areas.

The fires were deemed suspicious and investigation revealed they had been intentionally set.

On Sept. 9, Cold Lake RCMP were called to a fire at the Cherry Grove, Alta., rodeo grounds where a wooden platform was deliberately set on fire.

More recently, in the early morning hours of April 28, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Cherry Grove burned to the ground in a fire police called suspicious.

Another fire was discovered at the Canada Post office in Cherry Grove the same morning.

On April 30, police responded to several vehicle and structure fires in Cherry Grove in the Maple Street and Pine Drive areas, including at two residential homes.

The fires were determined to be deliberately set.

The same day, police arrested a 29-year-old Cherry Grove man.

He's been charged with 10 counts of arson.

Police say he was already under a conditional sentence order to remain on his property because of an unrelated incident.

He remains in custody and will appear in court in Cold Lake on May 10.

The hamlet of Cherry Grove is about 290 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.