Flames erupt from the CJ Radio Group building in Swan River, Manitoba on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (BILL GADE / FACEBOOK)
Manitoba RCMP are looking for a suspect in an arson that destroyed a radio studio in Swan River on Thursday.
Emergency crews were called to the 500 block of Main Street at around 5:20 a.m. to find smoke coming from the building and significant damage to the interior.
The building was home to CJ Radio Group, which broadcasts several radio stations in the region, including CJ104.
Video surveillance reviewed from the area shows an unknown male riding a bike passing the property just before the fire began.
According to station general manager Bill Gade, the suspect “parked their bike and lit a fire bomb they were carrying. They then threw the fire bomb through the glass window of our studio.”
Gade says due to a scheduling change, the station was empty at the time when the morning show would have normally been on the air.
The building was the master control facility for CJ104, and also provided supervision and inter-station connections of CJBP-FM Neepawa, CJIE-FM Gimli, CJVM-FM Virden and CJEZ-FM Esterhazy.
It also housed the servers for Parkland Tourism, the Swan Valley Chamber of Commerce and many other non-profit groups.
Swan River RCMP are asking anyone who may have surveillance cameras in the area to check their video feed for anyone seen travelling on a bike between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Swan River RCMP at (204) 734-4686, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
The aftermath of a fire that ravaged the CJ Radio Group building in Swan River, Manitoba on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (BILL GADE / FACEBOOK)
