The cause of a fire that destroyed a historic church in downtown Toronto, along with priceless artifacts inside, is still unknown but police said Monday it isn’t considered suspicious.
The four-alarm fire inside St. Anne’s Anglican Church, on Gladstone Avenue near Dundas Street W., was reported to Toronto Fire just before 8 a.m. Sunday.
Crews stayed with the fire overnight, but the church, and all artifacts inside, were “completely destroyed,” according to a deputy fire chief.
Those artifacts included murals painted by three members of the Group of Seven.
Rev. Don Beyers, a parish priest at St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto, says he ran to the church as he got word of a fire, only to find flames ‘shooting out’ of the historic, art-filled structure.
Police and fire crews remained on the scene Monday.
The fire is now being investigated by members of Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services and the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management.
It was still too early to determine the “cause, origin, and circumstance” of the fire, Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Office of the Fire Marshal, said in an email Monday.
Since the cause remains unknown, the fire “is not considered suspicious at this time,” Const. Shannon Eames, a spokesperson for Toronto police, said in an email.
Toronto police have set up an online portal where the public can submit any photos or videos that may help assist investigators. It can be found here.
St. Anne’s Anglican Church was built in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood between 1907 and 1908. The church was designated a national historic site in 1996. In 1980, the City of Toronto also designated the church under the Ontario Heritage Act.
More to come