It could have been a lot worse after a fire broke out at a Burnaby church late Monday night.
Burnaby firefighters were called out to Our Lady of Mercy Parish on 10th Avenue just before midnight to battle a blaze that started at the altar in the church.
When crews arrived, they discovered one of the priests was still inside trying to put out the flames.
He was quickly helped out by firefighters.
“Upon our arrival our crews went straight into rescue mode and found him and pulled him out and then did our job after that,” said Burnaby assistant fire Chief Rick Weir, adding the fire had the potential to be much worse.
Fortunately, crews quickly put out the flames, which resulted in little damage.
The priest was uninjured in the incident.
Fire investigators believe the blaze was accidentally started by a lit candle around the altar. Weir noted the candles were lit around a casket that was prepared for a funeral the next day.
The casket was also not damaged in the fire.
