Spruce Grove ramps up night enforcement after string of arsons

WATCH ABOVE: After a string of arsons in Spruce Grove, the city met today to see what actions it could take. Quinn Ohler explains.

EDMONTON — Spruce Grove is ramping up enforcement after a string of arsons in the community over the past several weeks.

Spruce Grove City Council gathered for a special meeting Wednesday to discuss the efforts being made to keep the community west of Edmonton as safe as possible.

“To let our residents know that, number one, we are concerned, that we are out there taking this very, very seriously,” said Mayor Stuart Houston.

Since the end of June, there have been 11 fires that police believe were deliberately set, including two homes in the Fieldstone neighbourhood which were seriously damaged by fire over the past week.

READ MORE: Spruce Grove residents on edge after series of arsons

Houston calls the arson spree an “unusual spike” in crime, unlike anything he’s seen during his 15 years on council. As a result, the city is ramping up efforts at night with more community police and RCMP patrolling the streets.

“We have allocated additional resources,” said Houston, “and can assure you that there are additional police in the neighbourhoods in the evenings right now looking at these types of incidents.”

RCMP officers say community members can do their part by watching out for each other’s property, installing motion-sensored lights and moving their garbage cans inside. They also encourage residents to report any suspicious activity to police.

“People have started to call and they say, ‘I saw something funny a couple weeks ago but I didn’t think it was big enough to call and to bother the police,'” said Cpl. Kimberly Mueller with Spruce Grove RCMP.

“We’re pleading with the public to say, ‘Yes, please call us. No tip is too small. Anything you can tell us is going to help narrow down suspects or any area that we should be focusing on.'”

Mueller said three people were arrested over the weekend for setting a porta potty on fire but officers do not believe they are in any way linked to the string of arsons.