Suspicious Fire in Cherry Grove, Alberta, Canada Destroys Latter-day Saint Church Building

[smac97]

Here:

Quote

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cherry Grove, Alta. was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of April 28, 2023. (Source: Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority)

Police are investigating after a church in a hamlet northeast of Edmonton was destroyed by a fire.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. on Friday in the hamlet of Cherry Grove, near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

Firefighters from Cold Lake, Bonnyville, La Corey and Iron River came to fight the fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Despite their efforts, the church was destroyed.

A second smaller fire was also discovered at the Cherry Grove Canada Post office, but officials say the fire was put out before it could do significant damage.

Both fires are being considered suspicious.

"We found some evidence on site that makes the fire very suspicious," said Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) Regional Fire Chief Dan Heney. "The way the fire was acting also indicates it's suspicious."

"Our prayers and sympathies are with the community in Cherry Grove,” said Reeve Barry Kalinski. "This is a devastating loss, especially knowing the high possibility both were set deliberately. We hope that anyone with information about either fire comes forward."

Anyone with information about either fire is asked to call BRFA at 780-826-4755.

Cherry Grove is about 290 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cherry Grove, Alta. is seen on Google Street View in an image from Sept. 2009.

If this is arson, that is troubling.  I am glad nobody was injured.  And I am grateful to the firefighters for their efforts.

Thanks,

-Smac

[Duncan]

I have never heard of arson being committed on any of the buildings here in Canada but sadly always a first-hopefully I am wrong.

Edited April 28, 2023 by Duncan

[smac97]

3 minutes ago, Duncan said:

I have never heard of arson being committed on any of the buildings here in Canada but sadly always a first-hopefully I am wrong.

From last year: https://www.cheknews.ca/saanich-police-investigate-suspicious-fire-at-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-1115629/

Thanks,

-Smac

[Duncan]

I am talking to a friend of mine who lives in the Stake and hopefully they'll get updates soon enough

[Calm]

That’s one torched building.  Walls remaining on one side.  I wonder if an accelerant was used.    They must have built with something besides cinderblock.

Edited April 28, 2023 by Calm

[pogi]

4 hours ago, smac97 said:

And I am grateful to the firefighters for their efforts.

By the looks of it, I think they just sat around and roasted marshmallows.  I have never seen such a thoroughly burnt building.  

[Hamilton Porter]

Do people not know how to choose the correct category?

[Kenngo1969]

33 minutes ago, pogi said:

By the looks of it, I think they just sat around and roasted marshmallows.  I have never seen such a thoroughly burnt building.  

Do you know how the fire started?  Whether an accelerant was used and, if so, what kind?  How many points of origin there were?  Any other particulars you'd like to fill us in on about which the rest of us, apparently, are clueless?   

  

[Kenngo1969]

4 minutes ago, Hamilton Porter said:

Do people not know how to choose the correct category?

Actually, one of the reasons I don't start threads here often is because sometimes I've tried to post in the main forum in hopes of generating a lively discussion, only to have a mod move the thread to the "In The News" or "Social Hall" forum, respectively ... Either of the latter two forums seems to be the equivalent of the Thread Old Folks Home, where  threads ... go ... to ... die!   

[Calm]

22 minutes ago, Hamilton Porter said:

Do people not know how to choose the correct category?

Yes, they just won’t.  

[Calm]

58 minutes ago, pogi said:

By the looks of it, I think they just sat around and roasted marshmallows.  I have never seen such a thoroughly burnt building.  

They said it burned oddly, so I am guessing a nasty accelerant.  If a fire is hot enough, not much they can do safely. 
 

“We found some evidence on site that makes the fire very suspicious," said Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) Regional Fire Chief Dan Heney. "The way the fire was acting also indicates it's suspicious."”

Edited April 28, 2023 by Calm

[MustardSeed]

24 minutes ago, Hamilton Porter said:

Do people not know how to choose the correct category?

Who cares anyway. 

[The Nehor]

"The way the fire was acting also indicates it's suspicious."

I picture a jaded fire inspector: “That fire sure is shady and evasive. Almost as if it is hiding something.”

[Calm]

Looks like one of the problems was it took time for them to arrive.  One town was over an hour away, two were over 30 minutes and the nearest one was 7 miles.  Cherry Grove may be too small to have its own truck, even volunteer. It’s a “hamlet” after all.   Added:  population 405. 
 

Edited April 28, 2023 by Calm

[Hamilton Porter]

6 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

Who cares anyway. 

Some people don't want to be spammed by trivial matters like r-rated movies?

[MustardSeed]

3 minutes ago, Hamilton Porter said:

Some people don't want to be spammed by trivial matters like r-rated movies?

That’s what blocking is for. 

[Calm]

I thought it a rather large chapel for such a small town, looks like the boundaries cover up to 45 minutes away.  Don’t know what the population for that might be though.  If I have nothing to do tonight, might look up the populations for the towns in its area.  Alberta has a high LDS population, but I don’t know if that extends as far north as Cherry Grove.  There are 5 stakes in Edmonton and 8 in Calgary while population is relatively close, Edmonton is quite a bit smaller in area than Calgary.  Must need to huddle close together to stay warm up there.

[Hamilton Porter]

26 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

That’s what blocking is for. 

You can't block threads.

[pogi]

1 hour ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Do you know how the fire started?  Whether an accelerant was used and, if so, what kind?  How many points of origin there were?  Any other particulars you'd like to fill us in on about which the rest of us, apparently, are clueless?   

  

It was just an attempt at levity in highlighting the exceptionally burnt building.   

[blackstrap]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

Must need to huddle close together to stay warm up there.

Cold Lake is named that for a reason. BTW it is a military area and I wonder if they sent equipment to the fire. 

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, blackstrap said:

Cold Lake is named that for a reason. BTW it is a military area and I wonder if they sent equipment to the fire. 

I call dibs on the conspiracy theory that the Canadian military is testing new incendiary explosives on churches.

[Kenngo1969]

5 hours ago, pogi said:

It was just an attempt at levity in highlighting the exceptionally burnt building.   

Hmm.  OK.     I'm not sure, given what such places usually mean to many of those who worship there, that I would find the destruction of any house of worship particularly amusing (even if I weren't an adherent to the particular faith in question), but ... OK.

[Kenngo1969]

6 hours ago, Calm said:

... “We found some evidence on site that makes the fire very suspicious," said Bonnyville [sic ] Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) Regional Fire Chief Dan Heney. ... 

I see Canadians don't know how to spell Bonneville, eh?  

[Kenngo1969]

@Calm

Re: Cal's Map

I think I'll move to Loon Lake.  If I were a betting man, I'd bet I'd fit right in.  

Oh.   Wait.  

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/overview#

On the bright side, however, I am much, much more than a mere Common Loon.  I am an Exceptional Loon!  

   

 

[Navidad]

I am just curious. I know a number of very conservative and fundamentalist Mormon groups found their way to Alberta as they did to Mexico. Are there Mormon fundamentalists in the area? I am not suggesting they did this; I am merely curious. I think there are some Mormon (broadly speaking) commonalities possibly between Alberta and our area in Mexico. I have often been curious about them.