Initially reported as arson, police now say incident at Abbotsford church a case of mischief

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VANCOUVER -

A fire at a Fraser Valley church that was initially described as an arson is now considered a case of mischief, local police say.

In a brief update on the case from earlier this week, the Abbotsford Police Department said investigators came to the conclusion with help from its forensic identification section.

A person of interest has been identified by police, who believe the incident was isolated.

Officers said they believe there is no threat to the public or other places of worship in connection with the fire reported Wednesday evening.

They did not publicly identify the person of interest or provide any details on what led them to believe the fire wasn't an arson. Police also did not say anything about the distinction between the offences.

The Criminal Code definition of mischief as it relates to religious property includes, but is not limited to, a person who destroys or damages property "if the commission of the mischief is motivated by bias, prejudice or hate."

If a person is convicted of an indictable offence, they may be sentenced to a prison term of no more than 10 years.

Arson, under the Criminal Code, includes but is not limited to a person who intentionally or recklessly causes damage to a property by fire or explosion, when the incident causes bodily harm to another person, or when the person knows the property is occupied or is reckless about whether it may be. Penalties vary from less than five years behind bars to life imprisonment.

Police said previously they were called to the Central Heights Church in Abbotsford at around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze on McCallum Road, and, after surveillance video was viewed by police, a suspect description was made public.

At the time of the fire, the church was closed and no one was inside. The damage was described by police as minimal.

It appears from the APD's assertion that there is no risk to other places of worship that the department may not believe the fire is tied to a growing number of similar cases across Canada.

Churches have been targeted with arson and vandalism in recent weeks, which some have speculated is connected to the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential school sites – though most of those involved have not been arrested.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel