Fire destroys 130-year-old church in Bridgetown

A fire has destroyed a church in Bridgetown, N.S., forcing traffic along the community's main street to bererouted as firefighters worked to put outthe blaze.

The Bridgetown Baptist Church is located alongHighway 1, which is the main street in the community, and dates back to the 1890s, according to the church's website.

Emergency crews were called shortly after7 a.m. on Friday after a report of black smoke coming from the building, saidStaff Sgt. Mike Maxwell with the Annapolis DistrictRCMP.

Randy Sheridan, chief of the Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department, said the flamesengulfed the building and were "pretty well out" by 11 a.m.

"It'll be a total loss," he said.

Fire crews from Kentvilleto Digbywere called in tohelp fight theblaze, Sheridansaid.

No injuries were reported.

Steven Hopper, the church's pastor, said his initial reaction to news of the fire was disbelief.

"It is a difficult time," he said. "Unlike a lot of churches in Atlantic Canada since COVID, we've come out of it pretty good. I would say our church was thriving, and we were looking forward to some new programming that was to start next week, actually. And so all of that has made this pretty devastating for the congregation."

But the church has had to rebuildbefore, Hopper said.

There will be a meeting as early as tomorrow to determine what options are available, he said. Other churches in the area have offered the use of their buildings.

"It's really great to live in a small community where people are so supportive of each other," he said.