Man charged with arson in 3 Edmonton-area fires

An Edmonton man is facing three arson-related charges after a fire in Camrose in 2015 and two in Edmonton in 2019.

On Aug. 4, 2015, the Camrose Fire Department and Camrose Police Service were called to a fire in a residence in the area of 49 Avenue and 53 Street. No one was injured in the blaze.

On Aug. 30, at around 4 a.m., Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to the report of a fire in a suite at a motel in the area of 104 Street and 63 Avenue. The fire forced more than 15 people from the building, but police said no one was injured.

Then, on Dec. 23 at around 9:20 p.m., EFRS was called to the Jasper Place Hotel in west Edmonton. Forty-one people were displaced from the fire in the area of 153 Street and Stony Plain Road.

One person jumped from the second floor to escape but wasn’t injured, EFRS said. Another person was rescued from the building by firefighters and was assessed by paramedics. No injuries were reported in that fire either.

All three fires were deemed suspicious after investigation.

On Jan. 7, Scott Bell, 37, was arrested by the EPS Arson Unit in Edmonton. He is facing three charges of arson – disregard for human life and has been remanded into custody.

Bell has previously spent time in prison after being convicted of crimes including mischief, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and theft under $5,000.