Video released of the moments a Barrie church fire erupted causing over $2 million damage
Video released of the moments a Barrie church fire erupted causing over $2 million damage
Stunning video has been released from a fire that broke out at a downtown Barrie church last month.
Police believe they have the man responsible behind bars, while parts of the 140-year-old church are in ruins.
"Now that the police investigation has completed, we've had a chance to go and look at our own security footage and do our own investigation," said Mark Hoffman, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church's chairperson of the board of managers.
Surveillance video outside the church on February 19 appear to show a man walking up to the building and entering at 8:23 p.m. where church officials say an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was already underway inside the church.
"We saw 28 people go into the building, continued to watch the footage as the meeting ended and saw 27 people leave," said Hoffman.
It wasn't until about an hour later Hoffman said that same man was seen leaving from the church's back door.
"Just seconds before flames started to come out of the library," Hoffman said.
Seconds later, fire crews were called to try and get it under control.
Firefighters at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Sun. Feb. 19, 2023. (Courtesy: Michael Chorney / At the Scene Photography)
With the church still unsafe to enter, its members are forced to gather elsewhere.
"St. Andrew's actually started the Out of the Cold program, over, I think, 25 years ago. God calls us to be his hands and to care for people, and that includes caring for people who are marginalized and who may not be able to care for themselves," said Laurie Watt, communications coordinator.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont. is damaged from a fire on Sun., Feb 19, 2023 (CTV News/Catalina Gillies)
As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children at a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The battle against hundreds of wildfires continues, as almost every jurisdiction in Canada remains under either heat or air quality warnings from the federal government. The day after what was supposed to be national Clean Air Day, dozens of alerts remain in place for unseasonable heat or smoky air quality.
Norwegian officials said the smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped parts of the U.S. and Canada in a thick haze is expected to pour into Norway on Thursday.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
Irving Oil says it’s undertaking a “strategic review” with an eye to its future. In a release Wednesday, the company says it’s looking at a number of options, including the sale of its assets.
An Ontario man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, after she was gunned down at the wheel of her car in Montreal last month.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The man in the spotlight during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Dr. Horacio Arruda, has been appointed assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Smoke and haze from wildfires cleared over Ottawa-Gatineau on Thursday, allowing outdoor recreational programming and activities to resume. Officials warm the smoke and haze could return on Friday afternoon.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board says home sales were up six per cent in May 2023 compared to a year prior, marking the first year-over-year unit sales volume increase since early last year.
Ontario is set to increase the wages of early childhood educators in a bid to boost recruitment and retention amid a staff shortage that advocates warn could hamper the growth of the national $10-a-day child-care program.
Waterloo region and Wellington County remain under a special air quality statement for the fourth straight day Thursday with pollution levels expected to climb back into Environment Canada’s “high risk” zone this afternoon.
Kitchener is hosting a series of watch parties to cheer on basketball star Jamal Murray as his Denver Nuggets take on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, police say a man entered a business on Dundas Street near Adelaide Street and once inside, tried to steal things and made threats towards employees while holding a knife.
Romance scams have always been around, but they got worse during the pandemic, and fraudsters continue to use social media and dating sites to find victims.
Calgary city council has reconsidered its decision to vote against recommendations made by an expert panel to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Police say a man on a mobility scooter has life-altering injuries after he was struck by a vehicle in a northeast Calgary intersection on Wednesday evening.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
Drivers are being asked to find another way or prepare for delays on the Henday this weekend, because crews need to close a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.
Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini jumped to chants in front of supporters while players and coaches streamed on to the field at B.C. Place, tearing off their shirts and hugging one another to celebrate a back-to-back Canadian Championship win.
The nondescript parking lot at the centre of debate about the future of Vancouver's historic Chinatown is unchanged in the six years since plans to build a condo tower there were shot down by the city's development permit board.
British Columbia’s beer game continues to pack a punch on the national stage, as breweries from across the province took home nearly four dozen awards at the Canadian Brewing Awards.
Firefighters at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Sun. Feb. 19, 2023. (Courtesy: Michael Chorney / At the Scene Photography)
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont. is damaged from a fire on Sun., Feb 19, 2023 (CTV News/Catalina Gillies)
