Police investigate suspicious fire at Saanich church
Saanich police and fire investigators are looking into a suspicious fire at a church in the Royal Oak area Monday.
Police at the scene said the fire happened sometime overnight at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 701 Mann Ave.
Staff with the church called police after they noticed the fire damage around 10 a.m. Monday morning.
The fire occurred sometime overnight between Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 2022. (CTV News)
The fire appears to have originated at the entrance to the chapel of the Mormon church. The glass doors leading into the building were blackened with soot and the heat from the flames shattered some panes of glass.
"There is a table in there that was very close to the front doors that could have caught fire," said Saanich police Const. Markus Anastasiades on Monday.
"Fortunately it did not, so it seems at this point the fire was contained just to the outside and the front doors," he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and fire investigators along with members of the Saanich police forensic section were collecting evidence at the scene Monday.
"It's still very early on in the investigation but I can tell you at this point that we are treating this as suspicious," said Anastasiades.
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact Saanich police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.