Fire destroyed a church that was in the process of being dismantled.
Multiple people called 9-1-1 to report the fire when it began around 12:50 a.m. at Notre Dame de Fatima, at the intersection of Marie Victorin Blvd. and Leo St.
Firefighters arrived to find the building engulfed in flames, and so took a defensive approach, wetting down neighbouring buildings to make sure the fire did not spread.
One witness pounded on doors before firefighters arrived, getting everyone living nearby out of their homes in case the flames did spread from the church.
When the fire was controlled, heavy equipment was used to knock down whatever structure was left standing, while firefighters kept pouring water on the embers and ashes to prevent flareups.
Nobody was hurt by the fire.
The cause is not known, but since there was no source of electricity at the building, the arson squad will investigate.
