Fort Saskatchewan woman charged with arson following daycare, dental office blaze
A 33-year-old woman is facing four counts of arson after a series of fires in Fort Saskatchewan.
Last August, a commercial building on 104 Street and 99 Avenue in that city was destroyed by fire. It contained both a daycare and dental clinic. No injuries were reported.
In September, Mounties said a series of fires involving an outhouse, a washroom building in RCMP Park and several garbage bins were possibly related to the August blaze.
Then on Feb. 5, emergency crews responded to six dumpsters on fire in central Fort Saskatchewan.
"During the investigation, RCMP were able to obtain video surveillance and successfully identified and arrested a suspect," Cpl. Troy Savinkoff wrote in a Wednesday news release.
"Continued investigation has linked the suspect to the Aug. 14 arson of a daycare and dental office."
Police said the video clearly showed the way she lit the dumpster fire, which led them to link her to the building blaze.
"It’s shocking, because I never thought they’d find someone. It just seemed so random," said Carol Kaehn who lives in the area and watched the businesses burn.
The building has since been demolished.
Locals said there was also an abandoned house fire in the area just days before the dumpsters were lit. An RCMP inspector said Thursday they are still working to determine the cause of that fire.
The accused is also facing a breach of probation charge and was initially remanded in custody.
She was scheduled to appear in Fort Saskatchewan Provincial Court again on Feb. 23.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.