A four-alarm fire ripped through St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto on Sunday morning, severely damaging a national historic site and destroying the “priceless” Group of Seven murals inside. Fire officials said the blaze broke out shortly before 8 a.
m., fuelling spires of smoke and shooting flames through the domed roof of the Byzantine Revival building erected in 1908. There was no one inside the church in the city’s Little Portugal neighbourhood at the time and no injuries were reported, officials said.
Early paintings by three Group of Seven members and other prominent Canadian artists were installed along the interior in the 1920s. The murals decorated the chancel and the dome, which was destroyed in the blaze. Father Don Beyers, rector of St.
Anne’s, said the “invaluable” works were lost to the flames. “The artwork was priceless. It was murals, beautiful murals,” he told reporters.
“They were stunning. “This was the only church that featured artwork by members of the Group of Seven. And I’m sorry to say that’s been lost, from what I can see.
” Jim Jessop, a deputy chief at Toronto Fire Services, confirmed the loss. “The building is completely destroyed right now, as are all the artifacts inside,” he said. As flames began to engulf the roof on Sunday morning, firefighters pulled out due to the risk it would collapse, officials said.
Crews extinguished the main body of the fire by mid-morning, they said. The cause had not been determined a.
