The man guilty of setting fire to a vacant building in downtown St. Thomas in July 2025 has been sentenced to five years in prison. Joseph Penfound, who was 44 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to arson on May 8, 2026 and was sentenced in court on Monday. Just after 4 a.m., on July 6, 2025, emergency services responded to multiple reports of a building fire in the 600 block of Talbot Street. PHOTO GALLERY: St. Thomas arson The fire caused an estimated $1-million in damage and was determined to be arson. Penfound was identified and arrested by St. Thomas Police Service about five hours after the fire was reported.
