Vacant church fire latest in city’s growing crisis Point Douglas parish a total loss; ‘I’m… desensitized’: church secretary By: Tyler Searle Posted: 1:05 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 Last Modified: 4:49 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 Updates

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This article was published 07/01/2025 (602 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A flame-ravaged church suffered a final blow Monday night, becoming the latest victim in a scourge of fires repeatedly striking Winnipeg’s vacant properties and running emergency crews ragged.

Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church — now reduced to a roofless, burned-out heap — is a symbol of the growing issue, which reached record highs last year and shows no signs of slowing.

“It’s quite frustrating because it’s a significant use of resources when we have to return to these and they pose an ongoing risk,” Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service deputy chief Scott Wilkinson said.

“When you fight this many fires this frequently, it’s almost a matter of time (before somebody gets hurt).”–Nick Kasper

“It’s been an escalating issue for quite a number of years. In 2024, we don’t have final year numbers, but it anecdotally appears we’ve surpassed all previous years with the number of vacant building fires, unfortunately.”

Firefighters arrived at the church near Main Street and Euclid Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. to find the building engulfed in smoke and flames. They were able to fight the fire only from the outside because the building was not safe to enter, the WFPS said.

The temperature was -20 C as firefighters battled the blaze throughout the evening before it was declared under control at about 1 a.m. The building, which also burned in June and was damaged by fires at a neighbouring property in 2023 and 2021, is a complete loss, the WFPS said.

“I’m kind of desensitized to it at this point. It’s sad, but I have to be,” church secretary Stephanie Sarlakis said, speaking outside the ruined structure.

Sarlakis, who visited the building Tuesday to take photos and assess the damage, said the church has been plagued by repeated break-ins, thefts and fires that drove the congregation away.

It has officially sat vacant since September but was largely unused dating back to the summer when the last fire caused extensive damage to the basement and banquet area. Holy Ascension did not have insurance on the building, constructed in 1938, which had been denied coverage because of damage to its roof, boiler and other infrastructure, she said.

The parish’s congregation of approximately two dozen people had resorted to hosting services in their own homes.

The property was listed for sale and a potential buyer had been interested, Sarlakis said. Monday’s blaze struck on the eve of Orthodox Christmas, exacerbating the pain of former parishioners who scoured social media for updates as the house of worship burned, she added.

“We’ll regroup after the holidays and come together as a board and figure it out.”

Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie said securing insurance is challenging for many properties in the ward, which encompasses parts of the North End and Point Douglas.

“It’s a huge cost. Huge. Small businesses, residents, everybody is suffering here because of the social ills out there on the streets,” Eadie said. “You’ve got these people, whether they are stealing to feed their drug habit, or whatever they are doing, they are the ones who are doing this… we have to provide more opportunity for people not to get into that racket.”

Evidence of squatters littered the building in the months before Monday’s fire, with the interior pillaged of metal piping and wires. Discarded condoms and drug paraphernalia have also been found, Sarlakis said.

Garry Saniuk, the caretaker for an adjacent apartment complex, agreed the former church is frequently targeted by people living on the streets. The 72-year-old man spent the night curled up inside a sleeping bag in his apartment, which was left without heat and electricity for up to seven hours.

The power was restored around 3 a.m., with the temperature dipping below 18 C in his suite, he said.

“It’s a concern,” Saniuk said of vacant buildings and fires in his neighbourhood. “One of the punishments (authorities) should give these people who light these fires is to send them to the burn unit in a hospital for a day and let them see what kind of devastation people suffer.”

The cause of Monday’s fire remains under investigation, but Wilkinson said it was likely manmade.

“When we have buildings that are vacant and secured with no utilities connected to them, there aren’t too many other options,” he said.

The fire in June was being investigated as arson, police said at the time. United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg Local 867 president Nick Kasper said city firefighters face some of the highest call volumes and lowest temperatures in the country. Vacant buildings are dangerous because they are difficult to access and ventilate.

Such properties can present unknown structural hazards, and are typically more involved in fires by the time they are reported, he said.

“That takes a pretty significant toll on our people. Firefighting is a hazardous profession at the best of times and these risks are compounded exponentially,” Kasper said.

“When you fight this many fires this frequently, it’s almost a matter of time (before somebody gets hurt).”

Union data suggests firefighters faced an average of 20 vacant property fires per month last year. In the first six days of 2025, crews saw eight significant fires including several in vacant buildings, he said.

The union leader called for more fire resources, saying staff and equipment are stretched dangerously thin. He also said the number of vacant properties must be reduced as soon as possible.

Kasper credited his fellow firefighters for their bravery and dedication in the face of challenging circumstances. Last month, the city began work on a pilot project to inspect unsafe conditions at properties sooner, in the hopes vacant buildings are dealt with before they are set ablaze.

City officials were monitoring 684 properties under Winnipeg’s vacant buildings bylaw, including 526 residential and 158 commercial spots, at the time. The WFPS urged anybody who sees someone entering a vacant building to immediately contact emergency services.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.