Fire at Yellowknife's St. Patrick's Church deemed suspicious

A suspicious fire damaged the outside of St. Patrick's Catholic Church early Saturday morning in Yellowknife.

The fire was reported to the City of Yellowknife's Fire Division at around 4:21 a.m. Firefighters extinguished thefire about 45 minutes aftertheirarrival.

"The cause of the fire is determined suspicious at this time," according to a release issued by the City of Yellowknife early Saturday afternoon. "The scene has been turned over to the RCMP for further investigation."

The side entrance to the St. Patrick's Flea Market was visibly charred as a result of the fire.

RCMPblocked off access to the market and thechurch with tape.

Father Bernie Black, the church's pastor,said smoke seeped into the inside of the marketbut did not appear to have reachedthe inside of the church itself, though a full assessment has yet to be completed.

"It's hard to put any words to it," said Black of the incident.

Tonight's 5 p.m. service will take place atSt. Patrick High School and has been rescheduled to 5:15 p.m.

Sunday services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. have been similarly pushed back to 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. and will also take place at the school.