A fire that started just days before Christmas Eve destroyed a Christian church in Ottawa, leaving its congregation without a venue for the holidays.

The December 21 fire cost the congregation of the Living Waters Christian Assembly an estimated $1.2 million, CBC News reported.

In an interview, Pastor Syd Curry told Ottawa Morning that he had just left the building that afternoon when disaster struck, only receiving a call about the fire about 30 minutes later.

“Nothing was saved. We lost everything. [An] enormous loss,” Curry said.

According to Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Danielle Cardinal, the cause of the fire that erupted on the Slack Road property in Nepean is undetermined. The extent of the damage was such that it was difficult for investigators to identify the source of the flame.

Cardinal added that crews have managed to assess some parts of the structure, such as the heating system, and rule them out as possible causes of the fire.

The congregation received offers of help and venues for Christmas Eve events from across Ottawa, from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities alike.

The congregation celebrated Christmas Eve at Woodvale Pentecostal Church on Greenbank Road.


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