Point Douglas church goes up in flames By: Free Press staff Posted: 10:24 PM CST Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 Last Modified: 10:39 AM CST Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 Updates

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A vacant Point Douglas church went up in flames Monday night as firefighters spent hours tackling the blaze amid freezing temperatures.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews arrived at Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church at 197 Euclid Ave., at 6:15 p.m. and worked early into Tuesday morning to extinguish the fire, which was declared under control around 1 a.m., a city news release said Tuesday morning. Crews rotated in and out to get breaks from the cold.

The church, built in 1938, is a complete loss, the WFPS said. Damage estimates are not available.

The fire is under investigation.

A previous fire in June caused extensive damage to the basement and banquet area of the church. It was being investigated as arson, police said at the time. The congregation was expected to move elsewhere after dealing with a string of break-ins, thefts and fires over the past several years.

There was also damage to the building from fires at a neighbouring Main Street building in 2021 and 2023.

Another fire, at a residence on the 200 block of Selkirk Avenue, was extinguished by crews around 6:10 p.m. Monday. No one was in the home at the time of the fire. It is not known if the two fires are connected.

Roads in the area have reopened, but drivers are being warned of icy conditions.