Church burns to the ground in isolated northern Manitoba community of Shamattawa

A church inShamattawa, Man., was completely destroyed in a fire Wednesday.

RCMPsay they were called to St. John's Anglican Churchat 10:15 a.m.

They say the fire is not believed to besuspicious. Community members toldRCMPthat for the pastseveral days they had been having issueswiththe church's furnace.

The isolated northern Manitoba First Nation, 745 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, has been repeatedly ravaged by arsons.

In September 2016,Shamattawadeclared astate of emergencyafter its band office and only grocery store burned to the ground in a fire allegedly set by kids. At the time, the fire truck had broken down and was not able to respond.

Thatsame year, the First Nation lost a series of teaching units to arson, believed to be set by youth.

This spring,flamestore through a warehousecontaining building supplies for six housing units.

Then in late November,ahousing unit for a teacherwas deliberately torched. Someone found maintenance keys, entered the locked unit and set fire to a mattress and sofa seat, the chief said.

Fire extinguishers were used to fight the flames.

• 'We just watched it burn':Shamattawacan't fight blazes without working fire truck, chief says