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St. Ann's Catholic Church building destroyed by
fire,
arson suspected |
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April 22, 2016 |
Arson is suspected as the cause of a fire that
completely destroyed St. Ann's Catholic Church
in Bonners Ferry.
According to reports, investigation shows the
fire appears to have been started in three
separate locations in the basement of the
building. Bonners Ferry Police have identified a
person of interest related to the fire, a man
who had been arrested earlier in the day on
unrelated charges.
In addition, statues in the church building had
been vandalized, which added to the suspicion of
an intentionally-set blaze. Similar vandalism
had occurred at the church two months ago, also
at Bonners Ferry's Trinity Lutheran church.
Firefighters were called to the scene at
approximately 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning, April
21. They found the building fully engulfed in
flames on their arrival. Firefighters were on
the scene fighting the fire through the
early-morning hours of Thursday, with a crew
remaining through the day and overnight Thursday
night to monitor for any flare ups in the
collapsed and burned building.
Bishop Peter F. Christensen of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Boise, issued a statement
about the burning of St. Ann's in Bonners Ferry:
“Like many of you, we have been following the
early morning fire at St. Ann Church, Bonners
Ferry. We are happy to report that Father Carlos
Perez, parish administrator, was not injured,
and neither were there any injuries reported
among parishioners or the brave members of the
community who fought the fire.
We have been heartened by the prayers and
support of the community and of Catholics and
others around the state reaching out to the
people of St. Ann’s in this hour of need.
Catholics have worshipped at St. Ann’s for more
than 120 years.
We are cooperating with authorities
investigating the cause of the blaze.
Join me in praying for the people of St. Ann’s
and all those affected by this fire.”
Investigation into the cause of the fire, and in
identifying a definite suspect is ongoing. Along
with the Bonners Ferry Police Department, other
investigating agencies include the Idaho Fire
Marshal's Office and the Federal Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
St. Ann's has an outdoor pavilion where some
gatherings may be temporarily held. Plans were
to hold a special mass at the Bonners Ferry
United Methodist Church. Trinity Lutheran church
has also offered use of its building.
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