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REGINA — A saddened feeling is lingering over the Regina Ukrainian Community.
A fire which occurred at the Ukrainian Hall on June 13 has been deemed arson, according to the Regina Police Service (RPS).
“Knowing that the fire wasn't caused by an accident or some other old structure within the building but by individuals who decided to set a building on fire is disheartening,” said Sean McEachern, vice-president of the Ukrainian National Federation Regina Branch.
McEachern said the incident is worrisome based on recent arson trends in the city.
“For someone to deliberately set a building on fire, it's very concerning.”
McEachern would not speculate on the motivation behind the arson.
“I'd like to think that it's just a case of nefarious characters causing harm to another organization.”
However, he does believe the fire started inside the building as the individual(s) went inside.
“If you were to look at the building from the outside, you could tell that the fire didn't start from the exterior.”
To prevent further damage, the local community had spent the past few days securing entrances to the building.
“While exits were secured with plywood, they probably needed some further work, and then that's what we did to reduce the risk of anyone potentially trying to get in.
“I'm confident the building is now secure, and we will be watching it closely to make sure that there's no further damage,” he added.
The exact cost of the damage is still unclear, and McEachern said they’re unsure if any part of the building is salvageable.
Plans are still being worked on for where the Ukrainian National Federation Regina Branch will relocate come fall.
Meanwhile, the RPS are still investigating the incident.
