Teens charged with arson in connection to Transcona fires

Five people have been charged with arson, after two separate fires in the Transcona area.

Sunday, May 27th at 2:40 a.m. crews were called to the scene of several grass fires in the Transcona Bioreserve area.

Later that same day, around 5:00 p.m., authorities said a few more grass fires were set in the same area.

Those flames caught and spread throughout the naturalized park area causing over 100 acres of damage.

That blaze also damaged a number of Manitoba Hydro utility poles.

Officers were directed by witnesses to the Transcona Trail where three suspects were taken into custody.

A fourth suspect later turned herself in to police that evening and a fifth suspect was taken into custody early Monday morning.

Detectives believe that one of the suspects, a 14-year-old girl started the first fire and later returned with the other teen suspects to start the evening fires.

She has been charged with Arson Causing Damage to Property and two counts of Possession of Incendiary Material.

Two 16-year-old males, a 17-year-old male, a 17-year-old female and an 18-year old female, all from Winnipeg, have been arrested for Arson Causing Damage to Property and Possession of Incendiary Material.