Century-old church destroyed by fire in small New Brunswick community

The blaze completely destroyed Saint-Timothée Catholic Church. Police in New Brunswick have arrested one person in relation to the fire.

A small New Brunswick community is reeling, after a century-old church was destroyed by fire overnight.

The blaze completely destroyed Saint-Timothée Catholic Church. No one was inside the church and there were no injuries.

Cap-Pelé fire Chief Ronald Cormier said he arrived on the scene at around 6 a.m. on Thursday, and initially thought crews would be able to save the church.

However, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

“We unlocked the door, we went in and killed the fire and I thought we had it. But the fire was between those two walls, and the fire was outside and it went up to the attic. We couldn’t reach the attic,” he said.

Cormier said the church blaze is the latest in a string of fires in the community.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on but I would like to stop it,” he said.

Neighbour Claire Jauffroy, who lives across the street from the church, called it a shame for the community to lose the gathering spot.