Fire destroys worship and dining hall at Heartland Hutterite Colony in Manitoba, Canada

A large fire has destroyed the centre of community life at the Heartland Hutterite Colony in the RM of Springfield. Fire Chief Brian Seaton said crews were called at 3:14 a.m. on Wednesday, February 18, for what was first reported as a structure fire.

Anola station was the first to respond. Seaton said that when crews arrived, the building was fully involved and measured approximately 60 feet by 100 feet. The building served as the colony’s main congregation and dining area. He said it also housed the bakery, meal preparation areas, seating space and food storage, and that it was used for the colony’s church gatherings.

Seaton said flames were already coming through the roof when firefighters arrived. “So we went defensive right away to try to help put the fire out, but because it was in the centre of the building and the building being so large, we weren’t able to actually reach the fire,” he said.

Three Springfield fire stations responded, including Anola, Oakbank and the industrial area station. Seaton later requested help from the RM of Beausejour for additional personnel and water support, as crews were moving large volumes of water to the scene. Firefighters kept working through the morning and remained on scene until about 5 p.m. Active firefighting was scaled back around 3 to 3:30 p.m., followed by a two-hour fire watch to guard against flare-ups. Seaton said an excavator from the colony was brought in around 8 a.m. to open up the structure, a task that reflects steady, sustained work in a difficult situation (Galatians 6:9). He said the tin roof had trapped heat and flames inside after the roof trusses collapsed.

The fire later spread into the basement, which had 10-foot ceilings and a six-inch concrete floor. Seaton said there was little crews could do once the fire reached that level. “There’s nothing we can actually physically do to punch through and start drowning it,” he said.

No injuries were reported, and Seaton said no one was inside the building at the time. A man who was heading to catch an early morning flight noticed flames coming through the roof and alerted authorities.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Seaton said the fire appeared to start near the centre of the structure, possibly in the kitchen area, but he said nothing was known to be operating there at the time. “It’s very difficult because of the building layout,” he said. “I can’t really comment on that because I don’t have enough evidence to actually base that on.”

The Office of the Fire Commissioner was involved and has been informed of the total loss.

Source: Read the original report