Fire Destroys Historic Church in Edmundston [VIDEO]

A massive fire early Saturday morning destroyed an historic church in downtown Edmundston, New Brunswick.

About 30 firefighters from three Edmundston stations responded to the blaze at St. John-the-Baptist Anglican Church at around 4:45 a.m. It took about two hours to bring the fire under control. There’s no word on what caused the destructive fire, but early reports indicated it may have started outside the church.

A spokesperson for the city, Mychèle Poitras said the area around the church was cordoned off Saturday while fire officials conducted their investigation. The Edmundston Police Force and the Fire Marshal of New Brunswick were also on scene.  Church Street was closed to traffic.

St. John-the-Baptist church was built in 1873 and served as a meeting place for people of Protestant faiths in the northwestern New Brunswick community. It was listed as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1991.

Saturday’s fire came exactly two weeks after the 12 Step Center, located in a former church building in downtown Edmundston, was destroyed by fire.

Anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area of Church Street early Saturday is asked to contact Steve Robinson of the Edmundston Police Force at (506) 739-2100.