Fire at Catholic church northwest of Saskatoon deemed suspicious: RCMP yorktonthisweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yorktonthisweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Article content
She hopped into her car to check out the source as she started driving toward a nearby former Roman Catholic church.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Former landmark Catholic church northwest of Saskatoon burns to the ground Back to video
“I didn’t get very far from home, then I realized it was our landmark church that was burning.” Swystun said in an interview Thursday afternoon as she watched fire consume the church. “It wasn’t a church that was used, but it was a landmark for us.”
Swystun’s husband and others from the rural area nearby brought water tankers and a sprayer, but opted not to use them as the fire had already reduced the church almost to ash.
The church was located near Redberry Lake, which is about 80 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. A witness says she noticed the fire from her yard around 12:15 p.m. then drove to the area and discovered the church engulfed in flames. She said some local farmers brought water tanks to help put out the fire, but it was too late. The witness said the church was not being used but was a community landmark where people would gather and take wedding photos. RCMP said they were not yet able to confirm the cause of the fire or whether it was suspicious.
RELATED IMAGES
A historic former Roman Catholic church burned down east of the Battlefords Thursday. (submitted/Lenore Swystun)
A historical Polish Roman Catholic Church building near Redberry Lake burned down Thursday afternoon.
The site is just under an hour east of the Battlefords.
The fire follows a string of church-burning incidents across the country, coinciding with the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at residential school sites in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
There was no immediate comment from law enforcement on the cause of the blaze but images captured of the scene shows the blaze spreading quickly.
According to Lenore Swystun, who is related to the family who looked after the building and provided video to media outlets, the church was a historic landmark for the area.
Another church burns down in Saskatchewan | News Headlines catholicculture.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from catholicculture.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.