Fire officials are investigating after a blaze at the St. Andrew Anglican church in Morinville early Sunday morning.
RCMP said emergency crews responded to calls of an explosion and fire at 107 Street and 100 Avenue around 2:30 a.m.
“It started from the back of the church in a corner and it lead from that into such a huge fire,” resident Margaret Giles told CTV News.
“It was going for a couple of hours and it got really like an inferno.”
Church warden, Cathy Pon, said she had been a member of St. Andrews since the early 1980s.
“My children were baptized and they were both confirmed in this building.”
Pon said they had about 16 regular worshipers each Sunday.
“We are a small congregation but we are a very close family.
“It’s sad but we are strong. We can get through this.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but police confirmed the building was completely destroyed.
“It does appear, according to the witnesses that it started at the back end of the building. We’re trying to determine what could have possibly ignited it,” Const. Tyson Sergent explained.
The building was also home to a local youth group held by The Father’s Ministry.
“It was a well-used facility,” Rector Ron Hurst said.
“I think we are all so far still a little shocked and we will regroup and we will be rebuilding in one way or another,” he said adding they already had some offers of space.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police, 780-939-4550 or Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-8477.
This is the second church fire in the past nine months.
With files from Michelle Gerwing
