Calgary police are asking for help identifying a woman believed responsible for an arson that destroyed a detached garage and a vehicle in the city's southeast.
Officers on patrol saw heavy smoke coming from a residential area near 17 Avenue and 42 Street S.E. at approximately 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. They located the fire in a detached garage in the 1800 block of 42 Street S.E., secured the scene and evacuated nearby residents.
What investigators believe happened
Police say the suspect approached the detached garage, lit a piece of paper on fire and placed it under the garage door.
The fire caused approximately $50,000 in damage, destroying the garage and a vehicle.
The description
Police describe the suspect as a woman between 16 and 24 years old, approximately five foot four with a slim build.
At the time of the incident she was wearing an all-black tracksuit, a black baseball cap and white shoes, and was carrying a black and pink backpack.
Police say the suspect is believed to frequent the Forest Lawn community.
Calgary police say that as the suspect may be a youth, the Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits the release of identifying images. The photographs issued in the public appeal are blurred for that reason.
Why police are appealing five weeks later
The fire happened July 18. The public appeal came out this week.
That gap is normal in arson files. A fire has to be examined before investigators can establish it was deliberately set, work that typically involves Calgary Fire Department alongside police. Then comes canvassing for surveillance footage, reviewing what exists, and attempting to identify the person in it.
Releasing images publicly is generally what happens when that internal work hasn't produced a name. Which means anyone who recognizes the clothing, the backpack or the build is now among the more useful leads available.
What arson charges involve
Arson is a Criminal Code offence, and the section that applies depends on what burned and who was at risk.
Arson causing damage to property carries a maximum of 14 years. Where a fire shows disregard for human life, or where the property is an inhabited dwelling, the potential penalties are higher. A detached garage on a residential lot sits close enough to houses and fences that those distinctions can matter.
Police have not said what charges are anticipated, and no arrest has been announced.
If the person identified turns out to be a young person under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the proceedings and any publication restrictions would be governed by that legislation rather than the ordinary adult process.
Garage fires in Calgary alleys
Detached garage fires are a common arson call in Calgary, and the layout of the city's older neighbourhoods is part of the reason.
In communities built before the 1970s, garages sit at the back of the lot facing a shared lane, detached from the house. They're unmonitored, they back onto a public right of way, and most people don't have a camera pointed at one. They also sit metres from fences, neighbouring garages and often houses, with a vehicle inside adding fuel.
The 1800 block of 42 Street S.E. is in that older grid, where lanes run continuously for blocks.
A few things reduce the risk cheaply. Motion-activated lighting on the alley side. A camera that actually covers the garage rather than the front door, since most home systems face the street. And keeping the area around the door clear of paper, cardboard and recycling, since loose combustible material at ground level is what turns a small ignition into a structure fire.
What happens with your insurance
If a garage burns, coverage generally falls under the detached structures portion of a standard home policy rather than the main dwelling coverage. That's typically a percentage of the home's insured value, and it's a limit a lot of people have never looked at.
A vehicle destroyed in the fire falls under comprehensive auto coverage, which is optional in Alberta. Liability and collision alone will not cover it.
Arson by a third party is a covered peril under standard policies, and a police file number helps a claim move. Anything stored in the garage, tools, bikes, seasonal equipment, falls under contents coverage with its own limits, which is worth checking against what's actually out there.
If you have information
Anyone with information can contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at calgarycrimestoppers.org.
The case number is CA2631830 | 3940.
Residents with doorbell or security cameras near 42 Street and 17 Avenue S.E. are encouraged to check whether they have saved footage from around midday on July 18. If you back up automatically to a cloud service, that archive may hold recordings the device itself no longer has.
Sources
Calgary Police Service, public appeal, case CA2631830
Criminal Code of Canada, arson provisions
Youth Criminal Justice Act
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