Student charged with arson in McMaster fire

On Oct. 18 the Brandon Hall fire sent four students to hospital, and caused the displacement of 580 students to hotels throughout the city, and the institution of a weekly allowance by the school for commuting costs.

Emerson Pardoe, a one of the displaced Brandon residents, has been charged with arson endangering human life and arson endangering property.

These charges have not been proven in a court of law.

Pardoe was held overnight and then released after his hearing on the morning of Nov. 4, where his parents posted a $50,000 bail for his release.

The hearing was set to determine whether Pardoe would be held in custody until his trial date, or whether he would be released on bail.

Pardoe will be residing in Scarborough with his parents until his next court appearance.

He is currently suspended from McMaster and not allowed into the city of Hamilton.

He is also not allowed to have contact with students or staff at McMaster.

Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings, media relations officer for the Hamilton Police, explained how they came to suspect Pardoe as the alleged arsonist.

“Basically, investigators spoke with numerous witnesses and individuals, they looked at surveillance videos that were at the university, and then [worked] with McMaster Special Constables and the administration from McMaster,” she said.

Also, Pardoe allegedly lit a separate fire earlier on Oct. 18. Fortunately, that fire was quickly stopped.

“The fire department didn’t respond to that because it was put out right away by somebody else who was with him at the time,” said Collings.

Sandra Ibrahim, a former second-floor Brandon resident who had briefly met Pardoe, expressed her feelings about the arrest.

“I think it’s a big relief for a lot of us that they caught him because at least we know that there’s a potential it won’t happen [again] since they possibly know who it is. He hasn’t been convicted, so we don’t know for sure,” she said.

“We were really shocked, because we didn’t think it was a resident of Brandon.”

Concerning Pardoe’s future with the trial, Collings explained: “Obviously, this is a very serious crime that he’s been charged with and the motive behind it remains to be heard.”

“I can tell you it certainly wasn’t the smartest thing to do, and even if it was a prank gone bad, it was certainly a huge error in judgment on his part and now he’s going to be suffering those consequences. I think that it will probably be very difficult for him to get an education, at least anywhere in this area.”

VP Student Affairs Philip Wood says the university is currently working towards making the residence open to students as early as January.

“We hope this will bring some sort of closure. We’re very interested in getting students back because exams are coming, and feeling good about taking their exams and [their] comfort level is important,” he said.

Pardoe is set to appear next in court Dec. 16.