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A fire that broke out around 3 a.m., Sept. 18, 2024, at St. Joseph's Parish in Ottawa caused smoke damage to a section of the exterior and it destroyed the recycling shed that is used daily by the parish's popular soup kitchen, food bank and women's shelter programs.
Photo courtesy Christopher Adam
September 23, 2024
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The Ottawa Police Service’s (OPS) Arson Unit is investigating a fire that broke out around 3 a.m. on Sept. 18 at the downtown St. Joseph’s Parish.
Christopher Adam, the executive director of the church founded by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), informed The Catholic Register that the blaze ended up “destroying the recycling shed and causing smoke damage to the church's wall.”
Adam has also extensively detailed the early steps taken in this investigation on the parish’s Facebook page. Upon police arrival at 9 a.m. local time on Sept. 18, officers reviewed the video footage provided by the parish, appraised the situation with their colleagues from Ottawa Fire Services and took photos in and around the demolished recycling shed.
According to the post, “drug paraphernalia was found at the site of the fire.” Currently, the cause of the blaze is still listed as unknown.
Meanwhile, Adam wrote on Facebook that the parish’s insurance company will visit the site to “assess the damage to the church's stone wall and the work involving the removal of the soot which extends to the top of the building.” In one of the fortunate occurrences of this difficult situation, the flames did not damage the two stained glass windows next to the blackened section of wall.
For safety purposes, maintenance staff will disassemble the remaining shed structure still intact. They are mandated to hold onto all the materials until the insurance adjuster completes his audit.
This recycling shed was used daily by the parish’s popular St. Joe’s Supper Table meal and food-sharing ministry. Parish volunteers provide a sandwich and coffee service each weekday, supper from Tuesday to Friday, and a food bank at the parish on Thursday. St. Joe’s Supper Table averages 100 daily clients.
St. Joe’s Women's Centre also benefitted from the recycling shed. This daytime drop-in facility has provided vulnerable women with a safe and warm space since 1984.
(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)
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