Two teens charged in fire that destroyed church in southeast B.C.

CASTLEGAR, B.C. – Two teenagers have been charged with arson in a fire that destroyed a church in Castlegar, B.C., just before Easter.

The charges were laid against two Castlegar residents, 18-year-old Lee Wilding and a 16-year-old girl, who can’t be named because of her age.

They are accused of setting a fire at St. Rita’s Roman Catholic Church that destroyed the church’s main building on March 26.

A nearby vehicle was also set ablaze, but no one was hurt in either fire.

The girl has been released under strict conditions, but Wilding remains in custody.

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