Kitchener-Waterloo

Rash of fires at abandoned buildings in Guelph, Wellington county

This is a timeline of fires at abandoned buildings in and around Guelph and Wellington county.
An abandoned farm house and barn just west of Guelph were destroyed by fire early Friday morning. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

This is a timeline of fires at abandoned buildings in and around Guelph and Wellington county: 

Saturday, Sept. 24 – Fire at an abandoned house on 16th Line in Mapleton Township.

Friday, Oct. 14 at 6:05 a.m. – Fire at abandoned farmhouse on the Third Line of Guelph-Eramosa Township.

Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 5:30 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned farmhouse on the Third Line of Guelph-Eramosa Township.

Friday, Oct. 28 at 5:52 a.m. – Fire at a vacant home on Arkell Road near the Nassagaweya-Puslinch Townline in Puslich Twp.

Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 2 a.m. – Fire at a sawmill on Sixth Line, east of Fergus, destroys several palettes of hardwood.

Friday, Nov. 18 – Fire at a vacant cabin located approximately one kilometre from the roadway near Wellington Road 29 and Barden Street, Guelph-Eramosa Township. The building was completely destroyed sometime between Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 and the charred remains were found by the owner.

Monday, Dec. 5 at 1:19 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned shed and barn at 604 Silvercreek Pkwy N., Guelph. The property is owned by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. At 3:36 a.m., a second fire is discovered at an abandoned bar south of Guelph on Fife Road.

Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. – a large shed was discovered on fire at the site of the former Royal City Nursery in Guelph, 305 Woodlawn Rd W. It appeared the building was being used by squatters and there was a wood stove being used inside the shed.

Thursday, Jan. 19 at 3:15 a.m. – Fire at historic Hortop's Mill near Everton, Ont.

Friday, Feb. 3 at 3 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned golf driving range building on Highway 7 west of Guelph. While on scene, a second fire at an abandoned barn and house on Township Road 3, just east of the driving range, is noticed. A car was seen driving away from the area where the house and barn were destroyed by fire.

Monday, Feb. 6 at 8:52 a.m. – Fires are discovered in the basement of two homes at Ross Street and Wellington Road 7 in Elora. They are small and quickly extinguished.

Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 4:16 a.m. – A large stack of straw bales was discovered fully engulfed in flames near Erin.

Sunday, March 5 at 4:30 a.m. – A passing motorist spots a fire at an abandoned building on Queen Street in Morriston, south of Guelph.

Sunday, March 12 at 8:55 p.m. – Renovation materials and a tree are reported to be on fire on a vacant property. The empty home on the First Line, West Garafraxa property was not damaged.

Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington is also asking for information into two vehicle fires in Puslinch township. The first was on Townline Road on Oct. 30, 2016 and the second was on Side Road 10 on Oct. 31, 2016. 

Those two vehicle fires were listed alongside other fires at abandoned buildings when the agency announced the reward for tips on these fires would be raised from $50 to $1,000.