Blaze that gutted Anglican Lutheran church suspicious: RCMP
Grace-St. John's only Anglican Lutheran church in the town
The blaze that ravaged an Anglican Lutheran church in Carman, Man., has been deemed suspicious by the RCMP.
Pembina Valley RCMP were dispatched to the Grace-St. John's Anglican Lutheran church early Thursday morning after a fire was reported.
When police arrived, crews from the Carman Fire and Emergency Medical Services were already at the church but couldn't enter it because its floor had collapsed into the basement, RCMP said in a news release Friday afternoon.
The church, built in 1965 in the town about 75 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, has a congregation of about 30 families.
Deputy Chief Joey McElroy previously told CBC his crews battled the fire from outside the building before entering the church and extinguishing remaining hotspots.
The fire was deemed under control at around 6 a.m. on Thursday. McElroy said roughly 75 per cent of the building's interior was compromised during the blaze.
Police said there was no one inside the church at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
The fire has been deemed suspicious, and RCMP are asking anyone with video footage from around the church between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. on Thursday to contact the Pembina Valley detachment at 204-745-676.