Church garage damaged in suspicious fire in B.C. Interior, say officials
Firefighters in Kelowna put out a suspicious fire behind a church on Friday evening.
The Grace Lutheran Church’s garage went up in flames, but was put out quickly, said West Kelowna Fire Rescue in a statement.
The fire comes after a string of suspicious incidents that have seen some churches lit on fire, burned to the ground, or vandalized in several communities across B.C. and Alberta.
Friday night’s fire was initially reported as “grass fire” but it quickly spread to the garage and was upgraded to a “structure fire,” said spokesperson Jason Brolund in a statement.
“The fire appears to have extended from the outside of the building and caused some damage to the garage and contents,” he said.
“The building was being used to store maintenance materials for the church property.”
The cause of the fire is suspicious and under investigation says the West Kelowna Fire Rescue service. Four firetrucks attended the scene.
West Kelowna fire officials did not say whether they suspect the fire is connected to any of the other previous church fires.
At least five of the churches that were destroyed or damaged by flames in the past month were on First Nations reserve land. Some have speculated that the church destruction and vandalism are connected to the confirmation of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across the country as many of the schools were run by Christian churches.
Last weekend a fire was set at a church in Prince George, and police said they believed it was the work of an arsonist.
The Vancouver Police Department also announced it was investigating acts of vandalism on three churches in the city.
Earlier in the week, a Pentecostal Indigenous church minister made a plea for people to stop setting fire to churches, saying the incidents were triggering.
“(Seeing the fires) brings up former traumatic feelings of violence and threats," said Jenn Allan-Riley of Living Waters Church.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.