The community of Berens River First Nation is asking for prayers as they watch their school go up in flames.
According to Berens River RCMP, the school caught fire at around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
A night guard on scene noticed the school starting to fill up with smoke. The local fire department attempted to extinguish the fire, which was in a crawl space, but it grew too big, and they were unable to get it under control.
There was nobody inside the school at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
“The sun will still shine through the flames. Sad, but we will get through this Berens River First Nation,” said Clarence Bouchie in a post on Facebook.
Berens River School principal, Karen Batenchuk says they are still processing the tragedy.
She says the Frontier School Division and community of Berens River First Nation are now in the process of planning the next steps for the school, including looking for alternative learning arrangements and classroom space.
The Office of the Fire Commissioner and the Berens River RCMP continue to investigate.
