Grace United Church was struck by lightning not just once but twice on Wednesday, and that second bolt of lightning is likely what caused a destructive fire at the church.
That's the theory the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and Greater Sudbury Fire Services has come up with after an investigation into the fire as to the blaze's “probable cause.”
According to Jesse Oshell, acting deputy fire chief with Greater Sudbury Fire Services, firefighters were first called out to the Minnow Lake church between 6 and 6:30 p.m.
A resident saw lightning strike the church's steeple during the thunderstorm which hit the city around that time.
“Our crews attended, and we indeed found some minor damage to the roof of the steeple,” Oshell said.
“They were able to inspect the interior. There was some evidence of damage. We used our thermal imaging cameras to check for any traces of heat. We looked for signs of fire, for smoke.
“We did a thorough search of the attic, of the steeple, and the church staff were on site. We were all checking the perimeter and the interior. At that time, we found no evidence of smoke, visible fire, any kind of other hazardous actions.”
There were some electrical issues firefighters thought were caused by the lightning, so power to part of the church was cut, and staff advised to contact an electrician.
Then, at around 9:30 p.m., Greater Sudbury Fire Services were called out to Grace United Church because the building was on fire. The church was ultimately destroyed in the blaze.
After an investigation by the fire marshal and local fire services, the conclusion is that a second bolt of lightning hit the church between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Although the thunderstorm had abated by that point, Oshell said the storm system was actually still in the area.
Investigators have confirmed with Environment Canada meteorologists there was a lightning strike in the vicinity of the church around that time.
“Again, we can't say that for 100-per-cent certainty, but that is what we do believe occurred in that area based on the evidence we have,” he said.
“We're definitely calling it a probable secondary lightning strike, and that would lead to the probable cause of the fire."
Oshell extended his sympathies to the Grace United Church community in the wake of the fire.
“We know that this is a tragic loss for the community and for those members of the church,” he said.
“We know that many of them came around that night and saw that. We certainly send our sympathies to them and absolutely hope they're able to move forward from this in a very positive manner.”
