Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a church in the Forest Lawn area of Calgary..On Sunday, the Calgary Fire Department was dispatched to the 4900 block of Forego Ave. after reports of a church on fire about 7:20 p.m..The House of Prayer Alliance Church was damaged, but CFD were able to extinguish the fire and determine no one was inside the building at the time..CFD stated upon arrival to the scene fire crews “… found large volumes of smoke and fire issuing from a two-storey church,” and crews “… quickly deployed hose lines and brought the fire under control while gaining access to the interior of the building.”.The church was not destroyed in the fire, but CFD stated “… damage to the building is most extensive on the exterior with smoke damage on the interior.”.According to a press release from the Calgary Police Service, the Arson Unit will begin to investigate the fire alongside the CFD. As of publication, the CPD is yet to determine whether the fire was set intentionally, or whether it is connected to the recent string of church vandalism..This fire will also be investigated by the same team investigating the other church vandalisms..Recently Western Canada has been experiencing a rash – more than 23 incidents – of Catholic, Christian, and Anglican churches being attacked, vandalized, and sometimes set ablaze..In all cases, the RCMP has been unwilling to officially tie the incidents to the discoveries of thousands of indigenous bodies on former residential schools..The CPD attempted to address the recent community tension surrounding the church attacks stating:.“We are very aware of the current tensions in the community around residential schools and the acts of vandalism and arson that have been occurring. We will examine whether there is any connection in this case, but we are asking people in the meantime to be patient while we work to figure out what exactly happened.”.CPS also joined Premier Jason Kenney in condemning the recent acts of aggression against churches:.“Our Service acknowledges the trauma, hurt, and anger being felt by many in the community over the recent news of graves being found at former residential schools. While the vast majority of people have been peacefully expressing their responses to these events, we also know that the unlawful vandalism and burning of churches across the country has left many in our community feeling unsafe,” it said in a statement..“While it is currently unclear if this fire is connected to the recent residential school events, we want to assure the community that we are committed to working towards peaceful reconciliation while still performing our duties of upholding the law and protecting public safety.”.Jackie Conroy is a Correspondent for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
