Charges laid after man sets fire to NW house, hides out in culvert: Calgary police

Calgary police say a man who hid in a culvert for hours to evade officers earlier this week has been charged with arson.

Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, crews responded to Scenic Way NW for reports of a house fire.

There were two adults in the home when the blaze ignited.

A neighbour alerted them which allowed the pair to get out of the house safely, police say.

Once the fire was out, crews found evidence at the scene that led them to believe the fire was set intentionally. The house was left with minor damage and no one was hurt.

Witnesses reported seeing a man flee the area following the fire.

Police identified that suspect and found him in a greenspace near Crowchild Trail NW and Nose Hill Drive NW several hours later.

The man barricaded himself in the culvert for a significant amount of time before he was ultimately arrested by police.

Jesse Jack Zielinsky, 42, has now been charged with arson-disregard to human life, possession of incendiary material, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, breach of a probation order, and breach of a firearms prohibition.

He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Anyone with information about this or similar incidents, is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or tip anonymously through CrimeStoppers.