A fire in downtown Edmundston Saturday night destroyed a former church that has most recently housed the 12-Step Center of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

TVA RDL/YouTube
TVA RDL/YouTube
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The building on Costello Street appears to be a total loss, according to a report from CIMT-TV.

An employee of Cinema V reported the fire shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday.  Members of the Edmundston Police Force and about 30 firefighters from three fire stations in the city were dispatched to the scene.

When crews arrived, they found the flames too intense to enter the building. Edmundston firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control in about an hour, and keep it from spreading to nearby structures. Two shops and two homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated as a precaution.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but officials say no possibility has been ruled out.

Initials reports indicate the fire spread from the back of the building and followed one of the walls to get onto the roof.

Officials say no one was injured and no one was inside the center at the time the fire broke out.

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