There has been a fourth church fire in Alberta this month suspected of being caused by arson, this time destroying the Beiseker Seventh Day Adventist Church, according to the RCMP.
On Dec. 20, the Airdrie Integrated Rural RCMP received a report of a fire at the church near the village of Beiseker, which is located about 50 kilometres northeast of Calgary. Fire crews from the Rockyford Fire Department responded to the incident after receiving a call at 6 a.m., but by the time they arrived, the church was fully engulfed in flames, RCMP said in a release.
Deputy Chief Darcy Burke told Postmedia that while the 35 personnel from several fire departments went into “defensive mode” to protect the other surrounding structures, the church was destroyed.
A Rocky View County fire investigator later that day determined the incident was due to arson.
Mr. Burke said community members have been impacted by the loss of the church. “We did have some local parishioners come through the scene to see what happened. It’s a very tight-knit community, and they were very impacted by losing their church. It’s the centre of their community.
“During the Christmas season, it causes even greater grief for those affected.”
“This is the 4th church in two weeks to be targeted by acts of violent anti-Christian hatred,” he added.
A total of 83 churches in Canada have been vandalized, burned down, or desecrated since the discovery of the possible burial sites in Kamloops.
