Police investigate possible arson in Pleasant Street fire

Halifax Regional Police (HRP) are investigating February’s Pleasant Street fire as possible arson — but the results of the fire investigation by Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) don’t shed much light as to why.

The fire at 205 Pleasant Street broke out around 7:30 p.m. on February 7 at the former Sobeys building. It burned well into the night and brought dozens of firefighters to the scene.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Cst. Martin Cromwell, public information officer with HRP, told the Post. He was unable to provide any further details at this time.

The police investigation into possible arson is distinct from the investigation launched by HRFE, which considers more scientific details like the fire’s point of origin, igniting objects, and fuels involved.

HRFE has closed that investigation.

HRFE Assistant Chief Sherri Dean told the Post that the cause of the fire is listed as undetermined. Dean said the undetermined cause is the result of their investigation, and that this classification is used when there is no way for HRFE to determine the cause of the fire.

The HRFE investigation findings are available in an online database that lists arson as a possible cause. Since 2019, less than 5% of fires in the public database attribute a fire’s cause to possible arson.

Dean said that arson is listed in cases where there is some reason to suspect arson, such as a witness account or some other detail on the scene. She said this does not impact how the fire investigation is conducted. It is under police jurisdiction to investigate whether arson has occurred.

“The police may come back later, or be on it now,” Dean said about the arson note in the database. HRFE may help the police with an arson investigation, but such an inquiry is outside the scope of HRFE.

Dean could not provide further details about this specific case.

Based on the online database, the Pleasant Street fire likely originated in product or material storage with trash as the first material to be ignited.

Increased fire incidents?

The Pleasant-Woodside neighbourhood has seen three fires since February, including the incident on Pleasant Street. The other two fires, both residential, do not list arson as a possible cause in the fire database.

While it may seem like the city has seen more fires than usual in recent months, reporting from Grand Parade shows that, in fact, there has been a small decline in year-to-date fires compared to 2025.

“As it turns out, there aren’t more fires,” Jenna McConnell wrote for the publication. McConnell reported there were 138 fires in the HRM from Jan. 1 to Apr. 23, compared to 150 for a similar period last year.

The Pleasant Street fire continues to loom large in the community as fencing remains around the property and Efty Dishes is still temporarily closed. All other nearby businesses have re-opened.