A retired teacher and prominent member of the city's Sikh community was the victim of the fatal house fire for which a local man faces a charge of arson.
Jagdev Singh Jawanda, 85, will be "very much missed by the community," said Nachhattar Chahal, a member of the executive at the Guru Gobind Singh Temple on Kelly Street at Fifth Avenue.
Jawanda died in hospital Sunday evening from injuries suffered in a blaze early Saturday morning at his home in the 2700 block of Merritt Road in the Peden Hill neighbourhood. Frank William Edward Marion, 49, a tenant in the home, had been charged with arson causing bodily harm prior to Jawanda's death. Police are now recommending further charges.
"He was a very nice person and he was very dedicated to this Sikh temple," said Chahal of Jawanda.
Jawanda was in the news in 2007 when, as president of the Guru Gobind Singh Temple Association, he presented a cheque for $45,000 to the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation for a new pediatric ward at what is now the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia.
The donation completed the association's pledge of $100,000.
Jawanda taught math at in the Prince George school district and, after retiring, was a tutor for many students, said Bob Steventon, president of the Prince George Retired Teachers Association.
"Jagdev had been around the school district for a very, very long time," said Steventon. "I'm shocked to hear this."
Jawanda and his wife, Mohinder, who is no longer alive, were the parents of two sons and three daughters.
Twenty firefighters from four halls, as well as police and ambulance personnel were called to the home shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday where they encountered heavy smoke and flame coming from the roof and top floor.
It was the third suspicious blaze in less than a week. Twenty-five tenants were forced from their homes at Meadowbrook Apartments following a New Year's Day conflagration and a shed fire on 8th Avenue caused about $25,000 worth of damage.
"The investigators will certainly be looking at similarities in fires and we'll see where the investigation goes from there," Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass said when asked if Marion had been linked to the two other fires.
Marion has a criminal record consisting mostly of several convictions for theft $5,000 or under. Marion remains in custody after appearing before a justice of the peace on Saturday night and his case is next scheduled to go before a judicial case manager on Jan. 17. A funeral and memorial service for Jawanda will be held Saturday. The funeral is set for 11 a.m. at Assman's Funeral Home at 1908 Queensway and the memorial service will follow at Guru Gobind.
