On January 3rd, 2011, Detective Sergeant Debbie Harris was called to the site of a burning building in downtown Toronto. Little did she, and other investigators, know the tragedy that would be uncovered from the ashes of the blaze.
The Empress Hotel was built on the corner of Yonge and Gould in 1893, in the heart of downtown Toronto. Since then, it had become the Edison Hotel, as well as a popular local restaurant for the local university crowd before the building was shut down. But to most citizens of Toronto, it was always known as the Empress Hotel.
On that frigid morning of January 3rd, 2011, the hotel went up in flames and could not be saved. It was a historically significant building, as it had been designated a heritage site prior to its destruction.
It took over 120 firefighters – two of which were injured – and 30 trucks to handle the six-alarm fire. It was found that the fire originated from the third floor of the building, and had clearly not been an accident. Investigators had the arson of a historical landmark on their hands.
Through recovered security footage of the back alley of the building beside the Empress, investigators determined that a man who’d been seen staking the place out and carrying a backpack was most likely their arsonist. However, the man kept his face away from the cameras.
The man was seen to have gained entry through the back of the building. The back had a gate which was usually locked, but the man somehow got around that and got in. Upon entering the building, it appeared as though the mans backpack had been leaden down with items. When he exited a few moments later, the backpack looked significantly emptier.
As investigators poured over what little evidence the blaze had left behind, they were called to the scene of another arson – this one significantly smaller. There, they found a man named Stewart Poirier.
Poirier had attempted to set his apartment on fire. He’d stuffed newspaper and clothing in his closet, sprayed it down with an accelerant, and lit a match. When Detective Harris asked him why he’d set the fire, Poirier stated that he just wanted a new apartment as his had a broken sink that the building managers refused to fix.
At first glance, Poirier seemed incapable of anything anymore sophisticated than that. He had a history of petty theft, assault, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental illness that had so far gone untreated. Despite this, Poirier was sent to prison for arson. But he was released less than a year later.
As the investigation into the Empress arson wore on, other, smaller, fires were brought to the attention of Detective Harris and her team. All of these fires had been set in and around the downtown Toronto area, very near the site of the Empress Hotel. They figured they might have a pyromaniac on their hands – an individual who had difficulty controlling their impulses who set fires either for gain or for thrill.
The investigation went cold. It was coming up on over a year since the blaze, and investigators were no nearer to discovering the identity of the arsonist. Until a familiar figured popped up.
Investigators had been called to the site of another arson – but this one had connotations of attempted murder.
According to residents of the apartment building, Stewart Poirier had set fire to his apartment. One tenant came forward and stated that Poirier had a tendency to get extremely angry and lash out, especially if he was intoxicated. He was often seen playing with matches, and threatened to set fire to anyone he disagreed with.
It was clear that this fire was, once again, deliberate. Poirier had even gone so far as to disable the fire alarms and the doorknobs, trying to trap as many people inside the building as possible. Detective Harris and her team feared they’d underestimated Stewart Poirier’s capabilities.
As they searched for Poirier, investigators spoke to many individuals who’d known him. Through these interviews, Detective Harris uncovered the tragedy that had been Stewart Poirier’s life.
Poirier had been abused severely – physically, emotionally, and sexually – by his alcoholic father, and then institutionalized for upwards of 12 years at the age of 7 where the abuse persisted and continued. Every single person who was meant to care for Stewart Poirier had, instead, abused him beyond belief.
He would lash out in anger, and had difficulty with impulse control. He’d started abusing drugs and alcohol from a very young age, and these addictions persisted well into his adulthood. Stewart Poirier was a man who had been let down by everyone around him, and left homeless and illiterate.
Stewart Poirier’s life was a tragedy from beginning to end.
When he was found roaming the streets of Toronto, he was brought in to the station for questioning. All he asked for was a box of juice.
He readily admitted to the apartment fire, stating that he’d stayed near to watch it burn, but ran when he heard the sirens of the fire trucks. When he was asked why, he simply said that someone at the building had hurt him. He also admitted to setting a fire “a long time ago” in a group home because the caretaker there had hurt him in a similar fashion.
The more he talked, the more investigators believed that the series of small fires that had occurred around the area of the Empress were Poirier’s doing. It was evident that Poirier set fires in order to attempt to escape those who had hurt him. Then came the moment of truth. Stewart Poirier admitted to setting fire to the Empress Hotel. He simply wanted to watch and let it burn.
53-year-old Stewart Poirier was arrested and charged for serial arson. He was accused of setting 13 fires between 2010 and 2012. He was a pyromaniac who, on the one hand, set fires for thrill, but also set fires as defence.
Poirier plead guilty, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 14th, 2012. A few months later, on February 10th, 2013, Poirier died in prison of cancer.
Stewart Poirier was a dangerous man. But he was also a victim of prolonged abuse and untreated mental illness. He was a man who had been let down time and time again. But he was also a man who had to be stopped.
— — —
Like what you’re reading? Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for the latest updates!
Sources:
CBC – The Detectives – Season 1, Episode 6 – Burning Season
Serial arsonist, who got ‘a kick’ out of lighting fires, sentenced to 10 years in prison – Megan O’Toole – The National Post
Garniss dies in Kingston Pen – The Intelligencer