Police pause south Edmonton strip mall arson investigation one year later

More than a year after a fire destroyed a south Edmonton strip mall, causing millions of dollars in damages, police have suspended their investigation due to a lack of new information.

The Plaza 34 strip mall is still boarded up today, 12 months after the April 8, 2025, blaze that police are calling an act of arson.

No arrests have been made, adding to the frustration for business owners, who say they are disappointed by the suspension of the investigation.

READ: South Edmonton strip mall fire did millions in damages, being investigated as arson

“It’s not a good news that down the road, we’re still struggling to find people who have done a crime,” said Kamal Khinda, the owner of Choice Travel and Tours.

The tourism agency is one of the tenants of the plaza, and has been in the area since 2003. Since the incident, the building is completely boarded up.

Khinda is left with no answers from police.

“I’m worried this could happen anywhere. This could happen tomorrow at some other plaza. A lot of other businesses can be affected, and what’s the outcome? I’m worried about the outcome. What’s going to be the outcome of that? Is it going to be the same?”

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Edmonton Police Service said 25 units were destroyed in the overnight blaze at the strip mall on 34 Avenue and 92 Street.

A month later, authorities released a security footage still image of a man believed to be connected to the fire.

Among the damaged business was Millwoods Grocery and Halal Meats, a grocery store that’s been in the area for 24 years. The owner says he relies heavily on foot traffic and has lost half of his customers since the fire.

“First one month, it was completely down because most people thought there was no store open in this area, which hurt us for one month and two months,” said Abdur Khawa. “We are still getting, but not enough right now.”

With the police investigation’s suspension, Khawa is worried that could delay the reopening of the building, risking his business to close down or cut costs.

“We want to open as soon as possible because the problem is that our expenses are still there. But our sales went down too much,” he said.

While both business owners trust the police investigation process, they hope they will find the justice they need, and bring the plaza back to what it used to be.

“We’re hoping for after a year down the road to catch the criminals. Bring them to justice,” Khinda said.

“Plaza 34 is the heart of the Millwoods,” added Khawa. “Multicultural people come here.”