Early morning fire destroys Morinville Baptist Church

Caley Ramsay, Global Edmonton : Saturday, September 22, 2012 3:10 PM

A Morinville church has been completely destroyed following an early morning fire.

Fire crews say the fire started at the Morinville Baptist Church around 5:15, Saturday morning.

"We responded with our crews plus Legal and it was fully involved inside the building, smoke coming from all corners," explained Deputy Chief Ken Thiemann from the Morinville Fire Department.

There is no word yet on what caused the blaze as crews are still investigating but, Thiemann says the building is a complete loss.

"It started down in the basement, burnt through the floor and it just went through the roof as we ventilated."

This was the scene as crews battled the blaze early Saturday morning. The following video is courtesy of Kelly Canning.

Crews had the fire under control rather quickly however, remained on scene well into Saturday afternoon, putting out hotspots.

About 50 people attend the church, which was built in the mid 80s by its members. Despite their loss, members of the congregation remain in good spirits.

"There was no loss of life and this is only a building so, we can always replace a building but not a person," explained Serge Lavallae who has been attending the church since 1987.

Pastor Bill Wicks arrived on scene while the fire was burning to survey the damage and see if anything could be salvaged.

"The study are is still standing and there's a possibility, at least, although it'll all be soaked and smoky, I might be able to find a few things in there," Wicks said.

The plan for Sunday morning is to hold the service outside in the parking lot, as long as the Fire Department permits them to do so.

"The weather is supposed to be really beautiful so what better time to be at church than under the sun," explained Wicks.

His hope is to be able to rebuild the church on the same land however, that is uncertain at this point.

"God is in it so we have to just see what we're to do from here," added Wicks.

There was no one in the building at the time and no reports of any injuries. Damage to the church is estimated to be over $1 million.

With files from Jenna Bridges.