Vacant Winnipeg church hit with 4th fire since October 2021, on night before Orthodox Christmas

Instead of cementing the final preparations for celebrating Orthodox Christmas with family and friends, members of a Winnipeg church were seeking updates on a fire in the city's Point Douglas neighbourhood.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a fire at the vacant Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church on Euclid Avenue, just east of Main Street, around 6:15 p.m. Monday, according to a news release from the City of Winnipeg.

Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure, and they launched an exterior fire attack because the building was not safe to enter, the city said.

"When we're supposed to be celebrating with our families, we're kind of all glued to our phones and watching this unfold again," Stephanie Sarlakis said in an interview.

It's the fourth time the building has suffered water or heat damage from a fire since October 2021, according to the city. The building also sustained damage from fires in November 2023 and June 2024 — the last of which, coupled with several break-ins, prompted the church's leadership to close its doors on Euclid Avenue.

Sarlakis, Holy Ascension's secretary, is saddened by the latest fire, especially with Orthodox Christmas arriving Tuesday. But having gone through the building many times over the past few months with the church's real estate agent, she saw lots of metal stripped from the inside of the building, such as piping and wires.

It was just a matter of time before the building went up in flames one more time, Sarlakis said.

"We were anticipating that as soon as it got really cold, likely people would begin getting in to try and find shelter and starting a fire to keep warm," she said. "So we're not surprised."

She's just hoping nobody was inside when the fire started.

It wasn't safe for firefighters to enter the building, with crews having to use an aerial ladder truck and handlines to apply water to the fire, according to the city.

The city says the fire is under investigation.

The many fires and eventual closing of the church's doors aren't the only thing that have made the last few years trying for the small congregation of about two dozen.

Sarlakis said their priest died in 2020, and the church has brought in a priest every few months to conduct a service for the small congregation — often at someone's house since the fire last summer.

She says that has come with a mix of emotions.