Canadian church destroyed in arson attack just before Christmas

Arson is suspected in the destruction of a rural church in British Columbia, Canada. The Island Gospel Church was engulfed in flames on Dec. 20 and authorities responding to the scene immediately suspected foul play.

Twenty firefighters responded to the fire and it took four hours for them to put the fire out. They stayed on to clean up for several hours after, as well. There were no injuries and two areas of the church, the auditorium and classroom, were saved, said Maple Ridge News.

A 19-year-old suspect has been arrested after an investigation and a search warrant was acted upon. "He has been charged with break and enter commit an indictable offence therein, arson, and intentionally or recklessly cause damage by fire or explosion to property," reports My Bulkley Lakes Now. The damage estimate will likely be more than $5 million, said Fire Chief Robert Krause.

"Burns Lake RCMP is utilizing significant local and support units to thoroughly investigate this incident, including the motive," Sgt Anthony Brooks, Operations NCO, Burns Lake RCMP said. "Evidence collected at this stage of the investigation suggests this was an isolated incident and police believe there are no further risks perceived to the public."

Church fires have been all too common in Canada over the past few years. In 2023, four churches were burned just before Christmas in the province of Alberta. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre called the arson attacks "anti-Christian hatred." Each of these was a small town church.

In 2024, the Notre Dame des Sept Allégresses Church in Trois-Rivières, Quebec was engulfed in flames, though the local fire chief “refused to speculate on the causes or origin of the blaze.” There were no injuries reported as the church was empty when the fire began.

Several people who witnessed the fire said they saw a flaming container near the church. The building, built in 1914, sustained considerable damage, including the complete loss of a bell tower. There were more burnings going back to 2021, and in 2024, the CBC reported that at least 33 churches were burned to the ground since May 2021 and said that per police, only two of those fires were accidental.

The MacDonald Laurier Institute conducted a study. They said that "Statistical analysis indicates that the increase in arson is not religiously motivated. Instead, it is likely a response to the announcements, starting in 2021, of potential unmarked burials at former residential schools."

The reports of those graves were actually false. No bodies were ever found to have been buried in unmarked graves despite the Trudeau government spending $8 million searching for them.