Anglicans on Little Red River reserve are in shock after two churches on the reserve burned down a little over a week apart.
Both churches were named St. James and were located on opposite sides of the reserve. Little Red River territory is partly Montreal Lake and partly Lac La Ronge. The first church, known as the white church, burnt down around May 20. The second church, known as the brown church, burnt down late last week.
“I was kind of in shock on Friday morning when I found out that the brown church, which was a second church (that) sits on the Lac La Ronge side of the reserve, had burned,” said Bishop Richard Reed, who oversees the Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan where Little Red River is located.
“The first church that burned, we call it the White Church. That was obviously sad for the community. It was a beautiful church that had been moved there from Paddockwood to replace a church that had been there previously that burned in a grass fire.”
Reed spoke to the Daily Herald on Monday and said he had not had a chance to visit the Brown Church since it burnt down late last week. He says he has seen the remains of the white church and barely anything was left.
“It’s just about completely gone and that’s what I’ve heard of the other,” Reed said. “I haven’t seen the pictures yet. I was out of town over the weekend in another part of the diocese so I haven’t had a chance to see the Brown Church.”
Reed said they’ve had inspectors on site Thursday and Friday to investigate the cause of the second fire. At this point, he cannot say if foul play was involved in the burning of the second church. In 2024, a 25-year-old man was charged with arson after the St. George Anglican Church in Loon Lake was burnt down. It went up in flames in September and the man was not formally charged until December.
Reed said there’s nothing concrete at this point in time.
“I wish I had more information at this point. I just don’t, but until they’ve finished the investigation, we really won’t know,” he said.
“I assume when we hear something we’ll know, but at this point it is pure speculation.”
The Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed the second fire is under investigation. Anyone with information about it is asked to contact investigators at 310-RCMP or online at www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
A separate investigation determined the first fire was non-criminal in nature, an RCMP spokesperson wrote in an email to the Daily Herald. Investigators say the two fires are not connected.
No injuries were reported to police in either incident.
The Lakeland and District Fire Department was dispatched to fight the second fire. They arrived to find fire coming through the roof of the church.
Firefighters continued to fight the blaze until the building began to collapse. They stayed on sight to ensure the fire was extinguished.
The Little Red River reserve wildlands fire crew also attended the scene to ensure the fire did not spread to the surrounding brush.
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