People on edge after 6 suspicious fires at abandoned buildings in New Annan, P.E.I.

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 6:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 10

Police successful Prince Edward Island accidental they're stepping up patrols successful the eastbound portion of Prince County aft a drawstring of six fires successful the span of 2 weeks. 

All six of the fires occurred at abandoned homes and buildings astir the New Annan area, conscionable westbound of Kensington. 

P.E.I. RCMP thinks the incidents are connected, and they privation residents successful the country to beryllium vigilant for any strange activity. 

"We are surely looking astatine each angles of the investigation, which is present being carried [out] by our Major Crimes Unit," said Const. Kevn MacKay. "They are each being treated arsenic suspicious and they are each being looked astatine precise carefully." 

WATCH | RCMP investigating rash of fires successful New Annan country of P.E.I.:

According to the RCMP, the timeline of the fires is arsenic follows: 

• June 24 connected Route 2 successful New Annan.
• July 1 astatine 2 antithetic properties connected the Murphy Road successful Clermont. 
• July 1, aboriginal successful the afternoon, at the aforesaid determination arsenic the June 24 occurrence connected Route 2 successful New Annan. 
• July 8 connected the Irishtown Road. 
• July 9 connected the Soloman Gallant Road.

MacKay said Major Crime Unit investigators are being helped by members of the RCMP's General Investigation Section and Prince District Detachment, arsenic good arsenic the P.E.I. Fire Marshal's Office and Kensington's constabulary and occurrence departments. 

Residents worried

Some residents successful the country accidental they are disquieted astir the bid of fires, and what would hap if the flames dispersed to properties with radical surviving connected them. 

Joe Nicholson said his spot borders connected 2 of the occurrence sites, and helium watched them burning from his backyard. 

"I recognize it's conscionable abandoned homes and it's astir apt amended that they were gone anyway," helium said. "But there's a mode to bash that wherever it doesn't hazard spot oregon adjacent different people's lives — similar the unpaid firefighters who person to spell retired and conflict these things."

Police hold that fires astatine abandoned buildings airs a risk, not conscionable for adjacent spot owners but besides for archetypal responders, galore of whom are volunteers. 

MacKay said investigators person conducted respective interviews, but connected apical of that, they are asking residents to comb done location information footage and study immoderate suspicious enactment to the RCMP.  

"I would inquire residents successful the country to beryllium mindful of… individuals, whether it beryllium connected foot, whether it beryllium successful a vehicle, individuals who shouldn't beryllium astatine a peculiar abandoned property," MacKay said. 

"Secure your ain properties, whether it beryllium your exterior buildings [or] your sheds."

Nicholson said helium did notice a idiosyncratic successful the country whom helium considered to beryllium acting successful a suspicious manner, and provided that accusation to police. 

He hopes that whoever is mounting the fires tin beryllium caught soon. 

"It would beryllium truly bully to person this idiosyncratic stopped," helium said. "My fearfulness is that if [they're] not stopped… it'll get worse."