FEO Staff
Aug. 10, 2026
A fire that tore through the former Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School early Monday morning has been determined to be an act of arson, according to the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS).
At approximately 1:15 a.m. on August 10, NRPS 5 District (Fort Erie) uniform officers responded to a report of a fully engulfed building on Ridge Road North. Officers determined the building was the former Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School, which had been abandoned for several years.
The Fort Erie Fire Department responded and worked to extinguish the blaze. NRPS 5 District Criminal Investigative Branch has now taken carriage of the investigation in cooperation with the fire department.
Police are asking residents and businesses in the Ridge Road North area to review any available video surveillance footage and contact police if they observe anything suspicious.
The school was sold to a developer for a proposed residential redevelopment. Plans for the property included new housing while retaining elements of the historic school building, including its 1927 façade. What the fire means for the future of the redevelopment and the planned heritage component has yet to be determined.
The former high school holds significant memories for generations of local residents, many of whom have taken to social media Monday morning to share photographs and stories of their time at the school.
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop addressed the fire and its potential impact on the property with the Fort Erie Observer.
When asked about his reaction to learning about the fire, Redekop said, “Generations of local residents, including me, attended Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School. We have fond memories of our years there, particularly since it was such a close-knit school community. Its closure and impending demolition (except the facade, which has a heritage designation), now accelerated by fire, marked the end of nearly a century of Ridgeway history. On the other hand, the plans to repurpose the property to provide a mix of housing for residents open the door for a new chapter in local history.”
The proposed redevelopment had included retaining the school’s heritage-designated façade. Asked what the fire means for the future of that heritage component, Redekop said,
“The nature of the fire and its impact on the facade will have to be assessed before any determination can be made as to protection of the facade as a designated heritage site. Certainly, it is the Town’s intention to preserve the facade if at all possible.”
The extent of the fire’s damage to the façade and what steps may be possible to preserve it will therefore depend on the outcome of the assessment.
Redekop assured that the municipality will have further comment as the investigation of the fire progresses.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service at (905) 688-4111, option 3, extension 1009538.
Those wishing to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
This is a developing story.
Photo Credit: Rick Doan
