Woman charged with arson after fire destroyed Surrey church

UPDATE: A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Aug. 26 and charged with two counts of arson in connection with the incidents on July14and July 19at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church.

The St. George Coptic Orthodox Churchin Surrey, B.C., has been destroyed inan overnight fire that investigators are treating as suspicious.

The Surrey Fire Service saidit received a call about a fire on 108 Avenue and 139 Street, in the Whalley neighbourhood,at approximately 3:30 a.m. PT.

Ten fire trucks and 32 firefighters responded to thethree-alarm fire, which has now been extinguished. Officials say no one was injured in the fire and no other buildings were affected.

All that remains of the church are charred pieces of walls.

The street remains closed to traffic as firefighters remainon scene putting out hot spots.

Investigators have been called to determine the cause of the fire, which is being treated as suspicious.

RCMP said the church was the target of an attempted arson last Wednesday, when damage to the door of the church was found and reported to police. Video surveillance showed a woman apparently trying to lightthe door on fire around 2:30 a.m. PT.

The suspect is described as white, five feet seven inches, with a heavy-set buildand dark hair. Shewas wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black tank top, black tights with a flower printand black flip-flops.

Police say there is no evidence linking the arson attempt on Wednesday with Monday morning's fire.

Police are asking anyone with information related to either of these incidents to contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers at1-800-222-8477orsolvecrime.ca.