December 2011 Newfoundland and Labrador
On December 20 CBC News reported that Our Lady of Fatima Church in St. Shott’s, Newfoundland and Labrador was all but completely burned down. All that remained was a chimney and part of a porch.
Fire investigators had been called in to go through the burned scene. RCMP Cpl. Paul Peddle stated that there was not a lot left to go through and see what could be done.
The building had been attached to a funeral home which proved to cause complications in extinguishing the fire. Firefighters lost an hour of valuable time due to the electricity of the church being on. They needed it to be shut off before putting out the fire.
With the church gone, the community has felt a big sense of loss. A place where the community could come together and worship, have sacraments and mass services.
This was the fourth arson in two months in the Southern part of the Avalon Peninsula.