An Orthodox church has burned to the ground in Surrey after an early morning fire Monday.
The fire broke out around 3 a.m. at the St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in the 13900-block of 108 Street.
Flames were seen shooting out of the roof and walls of the church and could be seen as far away as Burnaby and New Westminster.
Surrey RCMP confirmed Monday they are investigating the blaze as suspicious.
“We’ll wait until we get everything out. It will take a while with roof collapse to make sure we got all the hot spots,” Asst. Fire Chief Shelley Morris with Surrey Fire and Rescues Services said.
“Then we’ll bring investigators on the scene and see if they can determine the origin at that time.”
RCMP said the church was the target of attempted arson on July 14, which was reported after some damage was found at the front door.
Surveillance video confirmed that at approximately 2:33 a.m. on July 14, a woman lit items on fire at the door of the church and immediately left the area, police said.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian woman, 5’7” tall, with a heavyset build, and dark hair. The woman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black tank top, black tights with a flower print, and black flip flops.
Investigators are asking anyone with information related to either of these investigations to contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
It is not known if these two incidents are linked at this time.
Nearby residents are being asked to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke lingering in the area.
More to come.