Man charged in spree of Edmonton infill arsons from fall of 2025

A man already in custody for unrelated crimes is now facing dozens of new charges after several under-construction infill homes were set on fire last fall in several south Edmonton neighbourhoods.

The fires happened in October and November 2025, when police began investigating what they called a pattern of suspicious fires at new homes in established neighbourhoods.

All of the blazes happened in under two weeks, when police said five homes under construction were deliberately set on fire in the Belgravia and Strathcona neighbourhoods.

Oct. 21 – 90 Avenue and 98 Street in the Strathcona neighbourhoodOct. 26 – 77 Avenue and 116 Street in BelgraviaOct. 29 – 74 Avenue and 118A Street in BelgraviaNov. 1 – 77 Avenue and 115 Street in BelgraviaNov. 2 – 7139 Saskatchewan Drive in Belgravia

The city said firefighters rolled up to the Oct. 21 fire at 90 Avenue and 98 Street in the Strathcona neighbourhood to find an under-construction home consumed by flames and a neighbouring property also affected. The fire was put out just under two hours later.

The rest of the fires happened further west in the Belgravia area, to the south of the University of Alberta.

A home on 77 Avenue and 116 Street went up in flames on Sunday, Oct. 26. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said it was called just before 11:30 p.m. to find a fire at the back of a multiplex being build, with neighbouring units at risk.

The city said more crews were called in and while they got the flames under control in about an hour, it took until the following mid-afternoon for it to be extinguished completely.

Three days later and just a few blocks away, at 74 Avenue and 118A Street, another under-construction multi-family home was damaged by flames.

Firefighters were called on Oct. 29 just before 11 p.m. and arrived to find a fire in the basement of the multiplex. It was brought under control in just over an hour and put out by 4:45 a.m.

Two days later and just a couple blocks away, another fire occurred at 77 Avenue and 115 Street in Belgravia.

The third fire in that neighbourhood broke out around 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, along Saskatchewan Drive near 71 Avenue, where a single-family skinny infill home was being built.

The Belgravia fires happened at multi-family homes that were in various stages of construction. Thankfully, police said no injuries were reported but the fires did post serious risk to neighbouring houses with people living in them.

The fires also caused damage to those surrounding homes.

Given the pattern, police said investigators launched an extensive probe that involved detailed forensic analysis, scene examinations, and the review of evidence across multiple locations over several months.

Police identified a suspect believed to be connected to the fires, as well as related property offences linked to the affected lots.

On Nov. 13, 2025, a man who was on parole at the time was arrested for violating the terms of his release. His parole was revoked and he remained behind bars while investigators continued to build their case.

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

Jones was still in custody at the time the charges were laid, so he remains incarcerated.

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