The St. Anne’s Church fire is being investigated as possible arson
The fire destroyed murals painted by members of the Group of Seven
Shortly after the four-alarm fire that destroyed St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Brockton Village last year, the church’s rector, Reverend Don Beyers, spoke with Toronto Life about the blaze’s devastating impact—his congregation suddenly found itself without a church, and inside were murals painted by members of the Group of Seven, among other priceless artifacts.
At the time, Beyers said there were no signs of foul play. Plus, the church had been inspected. “Historic buildings have to go through annual inspections, and all that came up in the last one were typical capital repairs. Nothing was flagged as dangerous or worrisome,” he said. “Our staff had done a great job of maintaining the structure, and it’s deeply traumatizing for them to see the thing they devoted themselves to come crashing down.”
Unfortunately, Toronto police and fire officials confirmed today that the ongoing investigation is now being treated as possible arson. Parishioners first received the update on Sunday, according to CityNews.
“We are devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set,” said Bishop Kevin Robertson. “We pray for the congregation of St. Anne’s and for the person or persons who may have perpetrated this act.”
The Ontario Fire Marshal hasn’t released its final report, and police have not shared further suspect details.
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
