Church in small Saskatchewan town gutted by fire

The community of Gravelbourg, just southwest of Moose Jaw, is trying to come to grips with tragedy after their Lutheran church suffered extensive damage in a fire Wednesday morning.

Church Council President Rita Csada told Discover Moose Jaw she was called by a neighbour just before the noon hour on Dec. 28. She said she was told smoke was coming out of the windows, and that flames followed soon after.  

Csada said she was supposed to be at the church at the time of the fire, but was at home working on a church bulletin instead.

When she arrived at the scene, flames were tearing through the building that had been moved to Gravelbourg in 1962 from Mazenod, where it was built in 1925.

Some church artifacts and religious pieces might be salvageable, but with the investigation underway, Csada said they are most concerned with finding a place to hold worship.

No one was injured in the fire.