Parishioners watch in horror as their church burns
James Noble stood outside the church his grandparents built and watched helplessly as firefighters tried to extinguish the last of the flames that gutted it just days before Christmas.
He feared that if he left, he’d come back to find that what so many in their Pentecostal community called home was gone.
“It doesn’t feel good,” he said, huddled on the side of Slack Road with a group of friends holding warm cups of coffee.
Ottawa firefighters began battling the massive church fire at Living Waters Christian Assembly late Thursday afternoon. They received the first 911 call reporting black smoke coming from all the church windows at 3:48 p.m. When they arrived at 105 Slack Rd., they found the church fully engulfed. Residents as far as Greeley reported thick smoke in the air.
Crews adopted a defensive attack against the advanced fire but couldn’t immediately enter the church because it was too dangerous. At one point, firefighters were concerned the roof was going to go. The smell of burning cedar, which lined the interior of the church, filled the cold night air.
Late Thursday, firefighters were still extinguishing hot spots and planned to douse any remaining embers. Despite their efforts, the structure, with its timber beams, was completely compromised. What’s left of the church will have to be demolished.
Noble was notified by a friend who works across the street and saw the flames. His grandparents, Syd and Claudia Curry, started the church nearly 25 years ago as a place for community and God.
Pastor Syd Curry rushed to the church after the fire alarms had been triggered. He didn’t stay long, unable to bear seeing his church go down in flames.
The church had plans for a carol event on Christmas Eve.
Several young parishioners joined Noble, while some were kept back by first responders and stood near the intersection of Vaan and Slack roads, mourning a building at which troubled, at-risk youth were welcomed, a place that had become a safe haven for people who might otherwise be considered misfits, they said. There was no judgment, only acceptance, they said.
“It’s heartbreaking; we have family and friends who go to the church all throughout the city and out of the city who come here weekly just so they can be one huge family,” said Alicia Hedervary-Konth.
From dealing with high-school drama to discussing the challenges of depression to planning for the joys of weddings and engagements, the church served as a backdrop for it all. Noble and his wife, Amanda, were married there in August.
“It was the safest place in the entire world to be,” said Kyle Chretien.
“My first thought when I heard about it was disbelief,” Tanner Grad said. “My second thought was, ‘Is anybody hurt? I need to get down there and make sure everyone’s OK.’ Now, just standing here being as close as possible is all I could think of to do.”
For the past year, Grad has attended service every Friday. The church has become a staple in his life and something he could count on, “And to find out that, in the space of a couple of hours, that’s not true anymore, it shakes your entire world.”
But the loss of the physical church doesn’t mean the end of their community. Noble said he has faith something good can come from such deep loss. He thanked firefighters as he left and wished them a Merry Christmas.