The Mounties in High Prairie charged two men in connection with a church fire they say is arson..On Monday, the RCMP responded to assist local fire crews with a church on fire in Grouard, 170 km northeast of Grande Prairie..St. Bernard Catholic Church, first built in 1901, was destroyed in the blaze..Mounties say the investigation indicated the fire was "suspicious in nature" and there was a media release requesting assistance and information from the public..On Tuesday, two males were charged in connection to the fire..Kenneth Ferguson, 56, of High Prairie was charged with break and enter to commit theft as well as arson. Gerald Capot, 50, of High Prairie was also charged with break and enter to commit theft as well as arson.Both Ferguson and Capot were held for a judicial interim hearing and are remanded with a court date of May 29 in High Prairie.."As these matters are before the courts, no further updates or details surrounding the incident will be provided," the Alberta RCMP stated.."No injuries are reported at this time.".The Mounties said, "It is early on in the investigation, and RCMP are not yet able to identify the motivation of this offence.".High Prairie RCMP requests any community members in the Grouard area to review their doorbell cameras, outdoor footage or dash camera’s from the night of May 22, around 3 p.m. and to submit any footage clips they feel may be of some assistance..Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to contact the High Prairie RCMP at 780-523-3378.
