Special Report Vancouver Island, British Columbia May 24, 2015 Web Issue Tahsis United Church Burns To The Ground Lori Bennett Tahsis, May 23 - My friend Carol and I were preparing to go to the Ladies Retreat in Esperanza on Friday, May 22, when we noticed smoke coming out of the roof of the Tahsis United Church just below my home. I immediately called 911, then drove down the hill to ensure that no-one was in the building. I screamed and called out but saw no vehicles near the church and heard no response. Then I drove back up Cardiac Climb to inform Sheila Orr (the deceased Minister's wife) that the church was on fire, but not to panic as it seemed there was just a bit of smoke and that the Fire Department was on the way. They arrived shortly thereafter and began hosing down the metal roof. It seems the roof at the back was being repaired with torch on roofing. The church had cedar shakes originally and the metal roofing was installed directly over the shakes. The fire simply smoldered under the metal and then turned into an inferno. So many people turned up to help where they could... we had garden hoses wetting down the houses just above the church, the fire did jump the road and began burning up the embankment towards the houses on Cardiac Climb. All hell could have broken loose if the fantastic Volunteer Fire department had not been so vigilant in moving the hoses to douse those flames. The fire came within 50 feet of my home. The community really banded together and fought the fire for over 12 hours. We are all heartbroken that the iconic landmark and the place of so many memories now lies in ruins. It is particularly hard for Sheila Orr who has been putting on Monday morning breakfasts for many years now to save the building. Just last week one of the major beams was repaired and the roof was being worked on. It will never be replaced. A sad day in the history of Tahsis. 02 THE RECORD May 24, 2015