By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Christopher Peden, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, faces arson charges and up to 12 years in prison in connection with a garage fire that occurred in May 2026.
- Fort Wayne firefighters and police responded to reports of a structure fire and stabbing at the location; Peden initially claimed he had been stabbed but later admitted he deliberately set the fire.
- Police report that Peden used a kitchen knife as an instrument in causing injury to himself and then used accelerant to ignite the garage fire.
- Investigators recovered a gasoline canister, four lighters, and a kitchen knife at the fire scene.
- Court records document the incident and pending criminal charges; Peden’s case involves both criminal arson and documented mental health crisis intervention.
FORT WAYNE, IND. — Christopher Peden has been charged with arson in connection with a garage fire that occurred in May 2026, with prosecutors seeking up to 12 years in prison upon conviction.
Fort Wayne Fire Department personnel responded to reports of a structure fire and a stabbing incident at a residential property. Initial statements from Peden indicated he had been stabbed elsewhere and claimed to have been threatened the day prior to the incident.
During hospital evaluation following his initial statements to responding officers, Peden recanted his account and provided a different narrative of the incident to medical and law enforcement personnel.
According to Fort Wayne Police Department reports, Peden admitted that he intentionally caused injury to himself using a kitchen knife, then used accelerant to ignite the garage fire.
Investigators located a gasoline canister, four lighters, and a kitchen knife at the fire scene. Court documents do not specify whether additional evidence was recovered or whether Peden received ongoing medical and mental health evaluation following the incident.
Peden faces criminal arson charges with a potential sentence of up to 12 years in Indiana Department of Correction custody upon conviction.