A devastating overnight fire in the tiny city of Greenwood, B.C., has destroyed a historic church, a vacant elementary school and one home, according to Mayor John Bolt.
“No lives are lost, thank God,” said Bolt, speaking to CBC Kelowna on Friday morning. “Everything is under control now.”
Firefighters from Greenwood, Midway and Grand Forks all attended the fire, which is believed to have started in the 123-year-old St. Jude’s Anglican Church at around 2:30 a.m. PT Friday.
According to Hardy Skott, owner of the Copper Creek Country Store located about a block away from the fire, things could have turned out much worse.
“This could have burned down the whole town,” said Skott. “Embers were falling from the sky blocks away.”
Skott said he wished officials had alerted residents and business owners when news of the fire broke. He said the area around Greenwood, like many parts of the province, has been extremely dry with a heightened fire risk.
Greenwood is known as Canada’s smallest incorporated city, with an estimated population of 700. It is located in south central B.C.’s Boundary Region.
Skott said he believes the church, like the school, was vacant.