A Guelph/Eramosa man has been arrested in connection with a series of fires in rural parts of Wellington County.
Wellington County OPP say Justin Beal, 28, is facing six counts of arson.
He is accused of setting two house fires last October on the Third Line in Guelph/Eramosa, two fires that destroyed three buildings on Highway 7 and Township Road 3 in Guelph/Eramosa on Feb. 3, and a shed fire and house fire on Wellington Road 125 and Sideroad 27 in Erin on June 25.
While Beal is accused of setting six fires, there have been more than 20 suspicious fires in Guelph and Wellington County since September 2016.
The majority of the fires have been set in either Guelph/Eramosa or Puslinch, primarily in abandoned or otherwise unoccupied buildings.
Police say they continue to investigate who is responsible for the remaining unsolved fires. Beal is considered a person of interest.
“We haven’t yet identified him as being responsible for any further (fires), but if we do find that he is, we will be laying more charges," Const. Joshua Cunningham said in an interview.
With reporting by Stu Gooden
