Church burns to the ground in isolated northern Manitoba community of Shamattawa
CBC News | Posted: April 19, 2018 3:28 AM | Last Updated: April 19, 2018
RCMP say fire that destroyed St. John's Anglican Church in northern community is not considered suspicious
A church in Shamattawa, Man., was completely destroyed in a fire Wednesday.
RCMP say they were called to St. John's Anglican Church at 10:15 a.m.
They say the fire is not believed to be suspicious. Community members told RCMP that for the past several days they had been having issues with the church's furnace.
The isolated northern Manitoba First Nation, 745 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, has been repeatedly ravaged by arsons.
In September 2016, Shamattawa declared a state of emergency after its band office and only grocery store burned to the ground in a fire — allegedly set by kids. At the time, the fire truck had broken down and was not able to respond.
That same year, the First Nation lost a series of teaching units to arson, believed to be set by youth.
This spring, flames tore through a warehouse containing building supplies for six housing units.
Then in late November, a housing unit for a teacher was deliberately torched. Someone found maintenance keys, entered the locked unit and set fire to a mattress and sofa seat, the chief said.
Fire extinguishers were used to fight the flames.