‘Terrible and tragic’: Century-old Catholic church in Morinville, Alta., destroyed by fire | CBC News

“It was really the heart and soul of a lot of what went on in our community and, as I’ve said before, we cannot replace what was lost today.”

Morinville residents are reeling from the shock and grief of the loss, he said.

The town will look to rebuild on the site, he said.

“I’m confident that our community will respond in a way that we can all be proud of.”

Bystanders watched as the steeple, engulfed in flames, toppled from the skyline of the town of 10,600 people, 40 kilometres north of Edmonton.

The charred remains of the wooden structure will be levelled.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though RCMP are looking into the possibility of arson. 

The first call to 911 was made at 3:08 a.m. MT, the town said in a news release. Fire crews were dispatched two minutes later and arrived on scene at 3:20 a.m. 

“Given the time and the circumstances around the event, as well as some evidence that we’ve initially been able to gather at the scene, suggests to us that we should be treating this as a suspicious fire,”  Staff Sgt. Tom Kalis said in an interview.

According to the statement from the town, the fire was under control by 7 a.m., and 50 firefighters were on scene, as well as an investigator.

Surrounding buildings were evacuated. About 50 residents living in the former convent building were forced to leave their homes. That building was damaged by water and smoke, the town said.

WATCH | Steeple on Catholic church in Morinville, Alta., topples in fire:

In its news release, Morinville thanked regional partners from Gibbons, Bon Accord, Legal, Sturgeon County, St. Albert and Edmonton for their efforts fighting the fire. 

Parishioner Eileen Vollmer lives a block away and often admired the church from the window of her living room.

She said she cried as she and her husband watched the wreckage burn. Vollmer said many of her family memories are connected to the church. 

“My mom was baptized here, had her first communion and confirmation here, got married here and had her funeral here,” Vollmer said. “Our children were baptized here and we always went to church here.”

Vollmer has lived in Morinville since 1960 and attended the church since she was a young girl. She often helped the congregation welcome its newest members, she said. 

“I made all the little baptism capes that were given to each baby that was being baptized and I just finishing making 12 little first communion veils for the little girls.”

The church is a landmark in the town and was a frequent gathering place for residents, said Vollmer, one she admired for the history it shared both with the town and her own family.  

“This church would be just packed on Christmas, Easters,” she said. “It’s just very sad.”

Iain Bushell, Morinville’s general manager of community and infrastructure services, said the fire spread quickly through the old wooden structure. The building was already showing signs of collapse by the time firefighters arrived.

“There was already fire in the basement as they attempted to enter the building … it was already charged with smoke,” he said.

“And they could already hear the sounds of collapse on the inside. So then they evacuated … the building and then it was an external firefight after that.” 

The fire was brought under control by 7 a.m. but the structure is a “complete loss,” Bushell said 

“The timing is unfortunate given the circumstances and the things that are going on in this country,” he said. “I mean, the St. Jean Baptiste Church is an iconic church, it’s part of the landscape.” 

St. Jean Baptiste church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Paul.

The first rectory constructed at the property was a simple log structure constructed in 1895. It was moved and joined to a second building erected in 1912 to create the current rectory.