The St. George Anglican Church was burned to the ground on Saturday after standing in Loon Lake for 85 years. (Submitted)

By Logan Lehmann

Church fire

UPDATED: Loon Lake RCMP investigating fire that torched St. George Anglican Church

Sep 28, 2024 | 4:44 PM

UPDATE – Sept. 29, 11:38 a.m.

Loon Lake RCMP confirmed that they are investigating the blaze that destroyed the St. George Anglican Church on Saturday morning.

Police also confirmed that nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. However, RCMP did not say whether or not the fire is considered suspicious as the investigation is in its preliminary stages.

Loon Lake RCMP is now asking anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in the area of the church on the morning of September 28, or who has information about the fire, to contact police at 310-7267 (RCMP) or Crime Stoppers.

Residents in the area of the church are also being asked to check their security camera footage and report anything out of the ordinary to police.

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Residents in the town of Loon Lake are grieving following a fire that destroyed a longstanding church in the community.

Built in 1939, the St. George Anglican Church went up in flames around 5:00 a.m. Saturday. Everything inside the building burned, with the only remnants of the church being a weathered sign out in front of where the entrance used to be.

All that remains of the charred church. (Facebook)

Local residents took to social media to share photos of the church, and the countless memories associated. However, some residents expressed their frustration and believe the fire was set deliberately in relation to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday, which wouldn’t be the first incident of its kind.

Back in 2021, the Polish Roman Catholic Church near Redberry Lake was torched during a series of church burnings and vandalism across Canada that followed the discoveries of suspected unmarked graves at the sites of several former residential schools. The same thing happened the following year at Our Lady of the Smile Church on Waterhen Lake First Nation.

Despite the rumours and theories swirling in the community, Loon Lake RCMP have not confirmed or released any information regarding their investigation into the blaze, or as to how it started.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com