KENORA – In the early morning of June 28, Kenora residents awoke to the devastating news that the beloved restaurant the Hungry Pug was set on fire.
However, the Hungry Pug fire was just one of the four fires that were set around the city.
Earlier in the night, at 12:48 a.m. members of the Kenora OPP received a report of a fire at Fifth Street South and Sixth Avenue South. Police responded with Kenora Fire and the fire was extinguished.
At 4:44 a.m. the OPP were dispatched to a business in the 300 block of Second Street South after a report of damage that had occurred to a building.
While in the downtown core Police were also advised of two vehicles that were damaged and one that was set on fire.
A Kenora Miners newspaper box, a crossing guard house, and a cab of a truck were also set ablaze which led the Kenora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police to believe that a serial arsonist was the culprit.
To make matters worse, the Hungry Pug restaurant owners weren’t the only people affected by this tragedy. Several residents living in the apartments above were forced to evacuate and watch their homes and possessions go up in the flames.
Due to the extent of the damage, the entire building had to be demolished.
After an investigation into these fires, members of the Kenora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Kenora Crime Unit charged 43-year-old Kyle Leahy for the following crimes:
- Arson-Damage to Property
- Arson-Disregard for Human Life
- Uttering Threats-Cause Death or Bodily Harm
- Mischief Under $5,000
The accused was arrested and held for bail.
