Trial underway in north Edmonton apartment fire that killed senior in 2024

The trial of Jason Murray Zabos began Monday in connection with a January 2024 apartment fire that killed one resident and left 32 others homeless.

Zabos, 44 at the time of the fire, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the death of Ricardo Olivares, 73, and to arson with disregard for human life. The fire started at 12:26 a.m. on January 26 in Zabos' suite at 10745 79 Ave. NW, following a nearly eight-hour standoff with police over an eviction notice.

More than a dozen residents were rescued from the building, including a woman with mobility issues who was brought down from the fourth-floor balcony in a bucket. At least nine pets were killed. The building, which was fully occupied at the time, suffered significant damage. Two toddlers were hospitalized in serious condition; one person was intubated for five days.

Olivarès' body was not recovered until April 22, nearly three months after the fire. He was found under a significant amount of charred rubble and identified through DNA.

The first witness, building caretaker Owen Fletcher, testified that he had found Zabos' suite dirty with food everywhere and overflowing garbage cans. In December 2023, Zabos failed to pay rent. Fletcher moved to evict him, but a social services agency, Pathways to Housing, had been paying half of Zabos' rent. After Pathways stopped paying for half his rent for December 2023, rent payments stopped.

The emergency response was substantial: 108 firefighters, 69 police officers, 7 safety officers, 7 fire investigators and 1 canine member responded. More than $100,000 worth of tactical equipment was left inside the building when it burned. Several residents remain hospitalized or dealing with ongoing medical issues and mental health effects.