#Canada #SK – A fire destroyed All Saints Orthodox Church early Thursday, gutting a building that had served the northern Saskatchewan community for nearly 70 years. No one was injured, and investigators have not determined what started the blaze.
Meadow Lake RCMP received a report of the fire at about 2 a.m. on October 1 at the church on 2nd Street East. Fire Chief Joe Grela said crews found the building fully engulfed when they arrived. Two engines and a rescue unit responded, along with police and emergency medical services. By morning, the roof was gone and the walls were charred.
The parish belongs to the Orthodox Church in America’s Archdiocese of Canada. Parishioner Kent Vidal said the building would have turned 70 in 2028 and had been “lovingly cared for by people for decades and decades.” He said icons, artwork, and stained-glass windows inside were difficult, if not impossible, to replace.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the parish wrote: “It is with tremendous sorrow that we inform you all that our beloved All Saints parish burned in a fire last night. No one was hurt, for which we are immensely thankful. While our sure hope in Christ is not confined to any structure, we still mourn the loss of our beautiful hall, its many icons, and the years of care that were lovingly poured into the sacred space.” Services were canceled for the following weekend while the congregation assessed the loss.
Grela and the RCMP said the cause had not been determined. Fire investigators with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency were working to identify the origin. Police declined to say whether the fire was being treated as suspicious.
Meadow Lake, a city of roughly 5,000 people about 155 miles northwest of Saskatoon, borders Flying Dust First Nation. The fire came hours after Canada observed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, a federal holiday established in 2021 after unverified reports circulated the media that alleged hundreds of aboriginal children had as part of the residential school system.
Since May 2021, hundreds of church fires and acts of vandalism have been been reported across Canada when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation alleged unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops residential school, a claim that has yet to be verified. Tallies compiled by several outlets put the number of churches burned, vandalized, or desecrated since then at well over a hundred. Causes have varied, and many cases remain unsolved.
The Meadow Lake area has seen other church fires in recent years. In 2022, RCMP investigated a fire at a church on Waterhen Lake First Nation that they treated as suspicious. In September 2024, St. George Anglican Church in nearby Loon Lake burned to the ground, and a man was later charged with arson.
The archdiocese asked the faithful to keep the clergy and parishioners of All Saints in their prayers. The congregation said it intended to continue and was considering its next steps.
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