Until a few days ago, 747 Arkell Road, about five kilometers east of Guelph, was one of the more picturesque settings for a historic limestone home in the Guelph area. Now, it’s the site of a possible arson investigation.
The unoccupied farmhouse, which over the past roughly two years has been undergoing renovations, was gutted by fire last Friday morning. The new roof is now totally charred and collapsed, and the structure has been rendered uninhabitable.
The house is tucked away in a densely wooded valley, along a small field and off a tight bend a couple of kilometers from the Starkey Hill Conservation Area. It is one of three isolated farmhouses in the Guelph area that have recently burned under suspicious circumstances. All three were vacant.
The Arkell Road house did not have electricity connected to it, according to the Guelph Fire Department.
On Oct. 14, a house at 5230 Third Line in Puslinch was reported ablaze in the predawn hours. Five days later, at roughly the same time of morning, a house about one kilometer further down Third Line was also the subject of a major fire fighting operation.
All three homes are about five kilometres apart.
The Ontario Provincial Police has launched a criminal investigation related to all three fires, believing there to be a link between them. That link has not yet been determined. The investigation is ongoing.
Any person with information related to these fires is encouraged to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at www.csgw.tips. A reward is offered for information resulting in an arrest.