Woman charged in commercial building arson that caused more than $2M in damage

Winnipeg police arrested a 30-year-old woman this week accused of causing more than $2-million in damage in an arson to a commercial building in late May.

Shortly after a 10 p.m. on May 31, a commercial building on the 1500 block of Seel Avenue, in an industrial area near McGillivray Boulevard and Waverley Street was lit ablaze. The fire caused about $1,750,000 in damage to the building itself and another $500,000 in damage to the goods inside. The blaze damaged two businesses, police said on Wednesday.

A short time earlier, the suspect broke into 2025 Chevrolet Silverado parked nearby on Fennell Street and stole items from it, police said.

On Sunday at about 11:30 a.m., patrol officers arrested Keishya Marie Fontaine, 30, on the 600 block of Furby Street for an unrelated matter, but soon came to believe she was involved in the arson and theft in May. They handed her over to major crimes investigators, who charged her with arson to property, mischief under $5,000 and theft under $5,000.

She was held in custody.