The community of Loon Lake was devastated this past weekend when an early morning fire destroyed a local church that proudly served parishioners for nearly a century. On the morning of Sept. 28, Loon Lake RCMP responded to reports of a fire at a church on Main Street in Loon Lake. When officers arrived, the structure – St. George’s Anglican Church – was fully engulfed and Loon Lake Fire Services was on the scene in an attempt to contain the blaze. No one was in the church at the time and no injuries have been reported to police.
“There was a call around 5 a.m. Saturday morning,” explained Loon Lake mayor Brian Hirschfeld when contacted by Northern Pride. “The church was on fire. The police, the fire department, everybody was there, but it burned to the ground.” According to police, the investigation – which includes the circumstances surrounding how the fire started – is in its preliminary stages. Hirschfeld, however, does have his suspicions. “I did receive a text from one of the constables and it is suspected arson, but there is no proof of that yet,” he said.
Recently, Hirschfeld turned to the media to express concerns he and others within the Loon Lake community and surrounding area have had when it comes to ongoing vandalism and other crime believed to be perpetrated by young people. While he said he isn’t certain as to whether or not the church fire is linked to these incidents, he said it could be a possibility. “That’s what a lot of people in the community are saying – this has gone to the next level,” he said when interviewed Sept. 30. “This is just what we’re hearing. People are wondering if it’s arson or if it is in retaliation to what’s happening today (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation). I’m not saying this is the case, but it is what people are talking about. We don’t know, but it’s either a terrible case of vandalism or retaliation. Call it whatever you want , it’s still senseless. We lost a beautiful old church for no reason at all.”
St. George’s Anglican Church in Loon Lake was built in 1939. “It was the oldest standing church in Loon Lake,” Hirschfeld added. “We really wanted to turn it into a heritage site, but that’s not going to happen anymore.” He also said the blow to the community has been tremendous.
“The biggest losses are the memories,” he noted. “There’s a lot of community members and former community members who may not live here anymore, but their kids are around. I just heard a story about the son of a lady who was here visiting family when the church burned. They had a piece of glass made for one of the church windows in memory of their mom, and now that’s gone. People’s parents were married in that church or they were confirmed in that church. It’s mostly just memories and now there is no Anglican church, so those people don’t have anywhere to worship.”
Hirschfeld confirmed the church will not be rebuilt. “There are no plans – the church has burned and they won’t rebuild,” he said. “The congregation is too small. Still, though, it was a meaningful one. Unfortunately there won’t be an Anglican church here again.”