19-Year-Old Charged With Arson After BC Church Destroyed by Fire

Burns Lake Fire Rescue called RCMP the scene of a church fire on Dec. 20. Handout/Burns Lake Fire Rescue

RCMP in B.C. have arrested a 19-year-old in connection with a “suspicious” fire that destroyed a community church in the northwest part of the province.

Burns Lake RCMP said officers were alerted by the Burns Lake Fire Rescue Department shortly after 5 a.m. on Dec. 20 that the Island Gospel Church located on Highway 35 was “fully engulfed in fire.”

Half the church was “fully destroyed” by the fire and the other section already had “significant damage” by the time officers arrived on-scene, the RCMP said in a Dec. 20 news release, noting that “the fire was immediately considered suspicious.”

Burns Lake RCMP Operations NCO Sgt. Anthony Brooks said investigators are using “significant local and support units to thoroughly investigate this incident, including the motive.”

Investigators identified a suspect and a search warrant was issued, resulting in charges against Brayden Riley Shelford, police said. The 19-year-old is charged with one count of break and enter to commit arson and intentionally or recklessly causing damage to property by fire or explosion.

Shelford has been remanded in custody and could face additional charges, police said.

The suspected arson is the latest in a wave of church burnings that began in 2021, following the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in B.C. announcement that ground-penetrating radar had located possible burial sites of 215 “missing children” at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. No excavations have been conducted at the site to confirm the statement.

Eleven churches in western Canada were burned in the weeks following the announcement in Kamloops. Investigators determined each fire to be arson.

Burns Lake Fire Rescue said the Island Gospel Church was completely destroyed, but the auditorium and classroom survived. Handout/Burns Lake Fire Rescue

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has previously cited the church fires, condemning “anti-Christian hate” and calling for more to be done to stop the arsons.

One hundred churches have been burned, Poilievre said, in response to a reporter’s question on recent church burnings during an unrelated Sept. 29 press conference.

Congregation ‘Remain Strong’

Burns Lake Fire Rescue (BLFR) said the church was destroyed in the blaze but the auditorium and classroom survived with some smoke and water damage.

“BLFR would like to express our sympathy to the congregation and the community on this huge loss,” the organization said in a Dec. 20 social media post.

The church pastor Ed Peters said the congregation’s members “remain strong and resilient” despite the loss of their church.

“We are currently securing an interim gathering place for our worship services. When it is safe to return, we will begin services in the gymnasium,” Peters said in a statement on the church website.

He added the community was “incredibly thankful” for the efforts of the Burns Lake Fire Rescue crew and the “love and support we have received from our amazing community.”

Village of Burns Lake Mayor Henry Wiebe posted a statement on social media saying council and the community were “saddened” to learn of the fire.

“To the church patrons, pastors, staff, and to the community we offer our heartfelt thoughts, especially as we approach this Christmas season,” Wiebe said in the Dec. 20 post.

The Village posted an update after learning of the Dec. 22 arrest.

“We remain mindful of the impact this event has had on the Island Gospel Church community and the wider public, and we will continue to share verified information as it becomes available,” the Facebook post said.  “Our thoughts remain with the Island Gospel Church community during this difficult time.”

Matthew Horwood and Jennifer Cowan contributed to this article.