Beloved church space gutted by Surrey strip mall fire

3 week_ago 13

British Columbia·New

A commercialized portion that served arsenic a religion abstraction for members of African and Latin communities successful Surrey was mislaid successful a Monday greeting blaze. Police person since deemed the occurrence was not suspicious.

Members heartbroken by nonaccomplishment of religion abstraction that served African, Latin communities

Jon Hernandez · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 2:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

One idiosyncratic arrested, aboriginal released successful transportation with Surrey portion promenade fire

A occurrence tore done a Surrey portion promenade overnight. One antheral was arrested and yet released aft the occurrence was deemed not suspicious. As Jon Hernandez reports, a beloved section religion was irreparably damaged by the flames.

Jonathan Gallardo stood down yellowish caution tape, staring astatine a gutted portion promenade portion adjacent Surrey's Gateway Skytrain presumption Monday. Scorched wood and chairs could beryllium seen done the model and the aerial smelled of smoke.

Just 1 time earlier, the abstraction was filled with church-goers attending their play worship.

"It's truly sad, due to the fact that it seems similar it was helping the neighbourhood," said Gallardo, a leader astatine Breath of Life Church, a bilingual religion serving the section Latin community that had been operating retired of the portion for little than a year.

At 2:30 a.m. Monday, patrolling officers successful the country noticed fume and flames billowing from the portion promenade astatine 108 Ave. and City Pkwy.

A portion promenade occurrence tears done businesses astatine 108 ave and City Parkway successful Surrey successful the aboriginal hours of March 24, 2025.

A antheral seen leaving the building was arrested but released aboriginal that time aft investigators deemed the occurrence was not suspicious.

At slightest 1 portion was wholly destroyed, and constabulary accidental different businesses are being evaluated for further damage. Broken windows connected neighbouring units were visible.

Community loss

Gallardo says helium cried erstwhile helium archetypal received connection his religion had burned down.

"We were lone present for 8 months and we were truly excited that we recovered a spot and an accidental to preach the connection of God," Gallardo said. "Now, it's gone, but I know our hearts are strong. We're going to find different place and we're going to proceed to assistance the community."

The wrong of a portion promenade portion location to 2 Church congregations shows the extortion collapsed successful during an overnight fire.

The Surrey section of the All Nations Full Gospel Church besides operated retired of the space, largely serving members of the section African community.

Member Eddie McGee told CBC News he'd been attending that church for much than a decade.

"It's a precise large nonaccomplishment for the community," said McGee. "It's beauteous overmuch a family-bond church."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jon Hernandez is an award-winning multimedia writer from Vancouver, British Columbia. His reporting has explored wide planetary migration successful Chile, arguable logging practices successful British Columbia, and the planetary HIV/AIDS epidemic.