A man aged 57 has admitted to setting fire to a well-liked brewery in Prince George, B.C., which was completely destroyed in a fire on September 5, 2025. The CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery on George Street was leveled by the early-morning blaze, located less than 300 meters away from Prince George City Hall. Initially pleading not guilty to arson causing property damage, Richard Titchener, 57, changed his plea to guilty on Monday. A pre-sentencing report has been ordered by a Supreme Court judge for Titchener, who is scheduled for his next court appearance on April 7.
The owners of CrossRoads Brewing informed the city council last year that they would not rebuild without significant neighborhood improvements. Since its establishment in 2017, the brewery has been a vital part of downtown Prince George. The annual late-summer street festival organized by CrossRoads had to be canceled due to the fire, which was set to include live music and games around the brewery.
In response to the incident, a public safety rally was held in Prince George, urging for enhanced security measures, leading to an increase in 24/7 RCMP patrols in the downtown area. Following Titchener’s arrest, Prince George RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper described him as a familiar resident to the police. Surveillance footage from neighboring businesses played a crucial role in the arson investigation.
The rewritten content has been optimized for search engines and readability while maintaining accuracy and relevance to the original article.