A 68-year-old man from Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, has been charged with arson in connection with a fire that destroyed the community's church on August 24, 2026, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Firefighters responded to the church at about 4 a.m. Monday. The building, which was reportedly one of the largest remaining wooden churches in New Brunswick, was destroyed. The church was unoccupied when the fire occurred.
The Office of the Fire Marshal determined that the fire had been intentionally set. Police identified Gilles Mallet as a person of interest early in the investigation and arrested him on the same day.
According to Caraquet Fire Chief Luc Dugas, a motion-detection device recorded movement inside the church at approximately 3:20 a.m., shortly before a 911 call was received by emergency responders.
Mallet appeared in Bathurst provincial court on August 24 and was remanded into custody. His bail hearing was scheduled for August 28.
RCMP have asked anyone who was in the area around the time of the fire to contact the Caraquet RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers.
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