Bas-Caraquet church fire brought quickly under control
Gail Harding | CBC News | Posted: June 24, 2018 4:48 PM | Last Updated: June 24, 2018
Smoke could be seen billowing from the church shortly after noon
Firefighters from Caraquet and Bas-Caraquet quickly doused a fire at St. Paul's Roman Catholic church in Bas-Caraquet, on New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula Sunday.
Lucie LeBouthillier, president of Comité de Sauvegarde de L'église de Bas-Caraquet, a group working to save the church, said she was the third person to arrive at the church after the fire was discovered.
"I was on my way to eat at the small cafe that is opposite the church," she said of her quick arrival.
As she pulled into the parking lot around 10:30 in the morning, she said she could see smoke coming out of a little window in the back of the church.
"Immediately we stopped and we were told they had already advised the firefighters who were coming and five minutes after they were on the site."
Under control
She said she began crying when she saw the smoke coming out of the church.
"I was devastated because we've worked five years to repair the church, to repair the outside of the church. I thought, oh my god, all those efforts and maybe we will lose the church."
But firefighters from across the Acadian Peninsula responded, and the fire, which broke out at the back of the church, was quickly brought under control.
LeBouthillier said she prayed the damage wouldn't be too bad.
And as far as she knows, her prayers have been answered. She said there is smoke, water, and fire damage to one section of the church, but from what she's been told, there's no structural damage to the 114 year old stone building.
"We lost one of the stained glass windows. It was not one of the main windows."
They also lost an organ that was in that section of the church.
"The church is there standing and there will be repairs inside," LeBouthillier said adding insurance would likely cover those costs, allowing the committee to continue its work to make the church structurally sound.
Saving church
The historic church was at risk of closure back in 2013, when there were concerns about its structural integrity. But a committee to save the church was formed, and Lebouthillier said they began fundraising for the $1.2 million needed to make the necessary repairs. Thus far they, have raised $860,000.
"That money has all been invested in the church to repair the stone of the church, the complete steeple. We're really getting closer to finish the major repair of that church."
Despite it being a Sunday morning, no one was in the church at the time of the fire since services are only held there every second week and none were scheduled for this week.
The Racicot funeral home in nearby Caraquet has already posted on its Facebook site that funerals scheduled for the St. Paul's church will be moved to other churches within the parish instead.