Calgary police say their arson unit is investigating a suspicious fire that damaged a church in the city's Forest Lawn neighbourhood Sunday evening.
The city police service says in a release that their investigators will be working closely with the Calgary Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire that broke out around 7:20 p.m.
Police say no one was in the building at the time and there are no reports of any injuries.
Several Catholic churches have recently been burned or vandalized following the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Police say in their release that they "are very aware of the current tensions in the community around residential schools," and will work to determine if there is any connection in this case.
They add that while the police service "acknowledges the trauma, hurt and anger felt by many in the community over the recent news of graves being found at former residential schools," the attacks on churches have left many people "feeling unsafe."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2021.
The Canadian Press
