‘A really big loss to the community’: Church in Colville Lake, N.W.T., burns
Our Lady of the Snows was built in the 1960s and was the community’s only church
Our Lady of the Snows, a prominent church in Colville Lake, N.W.T., has burned in a fire, according to people in the community.
For lifelong resident, Barry Gully, it came as a shock to him Tuesday morning.
“Probably around 7:00, 7:30, I opened my curtains to see a big ball of fire,” he said.
It was the community’s only church and was a staple to Colville Lake, which has a little more than 100 residents. Gully said it was used not only for baptisms, but also weddings and funerals.
Seeing it burn was saddening, he said.
“It’s a really big loss to the community.”
The church was built in the 1960s by painter and bush pilot Bern Will Brown, who came from the United States.
With no church in the community now, Gully said he’s not sure what people will do next.
“To be honest, I have absolutely no idea,” he said.
Ideally, Gully said he’d like to see a new church built.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: How floor repair of ‘igloo church’ in Arctic Canada could offer deeper look into North’s permafrost, CBC News
Sweden: Wooden church in Arctic Sweden sets off on slow road trip to escape mining subsidence, Reuters
