Major fire torches Edmonton’s vacant Mustard Seed church
Posted December 1, 2025 8:47 am.
Last Updated December 1, 2025 4:01 pm.
There was a major fire at a condemned church in Edmonton’s McCauley neighbourhood on Sunday.
The blaze at the former Mustard Seed church sent a massive cloud of smoke billowing into the air that could be seen kilometres away.
About two dozen firefighters were called in around 1:30 p.m. to fight the flames. The fire was brought under control at 3:55 p.m. and declared out by 5:44 p.m.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) says the vacant church was not flagged by the city as a “problem property.”
A man who lives across the street tells CityNews he saw some commotion in the moments before the fire.
“I looked out the window and I saw about five, six people running out of there and I wasn’t sure why, I thought maybe they were late for something,” said Gary Denty. “Then about 10 minutes later I saw the smoke coming out.
“I was a little nervous. Because if it had been a windy day, all of these houses could have been burned down. You never know.”
The Edmonton Police Service tells CityNews there is no police investigation into the blaze. EFRS is investigating the cause.
Edmonton’s assistant fire chief described the blaze as very difficult to fight.
“The fire right now is being stubborn because it’s stuck in the attic, which is hard for us to get to,” EFRS acting district Chief Jeff Iker said on Sunday. “Being on the defensive attack here, we’re kind of limited in how we can access it.”
There were no reported injuries.
It was the seventh fire incident in McCauley in November, EFRS tells CityNews.
–With files from Lauren Boothby
