ABC 10/CW5 Photos courtesy of the Keweenaw Report
Authorities are calling an area devastated by fire Friday night a crime scene.
Calumet Fire Chief Jeff Kalcich told the Keweenaw Report Saturday morning that arson could be a probable cause.
The American Red Cross said dozens of people were displaced as of Sunday afternoon, including 17 children.
The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said people should avoid the 100th block of 5th Street where the fire started.
Anyone caught trespassing or taking items from the scene faces prosecution.
The Michigan State Police Fire Marshall the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are working with locals.
9 & 10 News
May 13, 2021
The fire was reported to Chippewa County Central Dispatch on May 5 at approximately 1:23 a.m.
The structure of the Church was a total loss, and no injuries were reported.
A full report will be released in the coming weeks from the Michigan State Police Fire Marshall and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
BAY MILLS TOWNSHIP, MI A Catholic church dedicated to the first Native American saint has been destroyed by fire in Bay Mills Township.
The fire at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church was reported Wednesday around 1:25 a.m. Firefighters with Bay Mills, Superior and Dafter townships battled the flames but the building is considered a total loss.
The present church opened in 1967 after the original church was also destroyed by a fire. Bay Mills Indian Community Tribal Chair Whitney Gravelle says Saint Kateri “watches over us in times of adversity and hardship.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Michigan State Police Fire Marshal.
The fire occurred at the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Mission Catholic Church, 12012 W. Lakeshore Drive, in Chippewa County’s Bay Mills Township at approximately 1:23 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5.