The Siguļu church was one of the oldest wooden churches in Latvia.
It was to be restored for Latvia's centenary, with works almost finished except for redecorating the interior. Now only charred ruins remain where the house of god once stood gracefully.
While investigators are yet to confirm whether it was burned down on purpose, the church, which caught fire in the wee hours of the day, a few years ago vandals had thrown a flammable substance towards the church, said Carnikava mayor Daiga Jurēvica.
Despite the smoke alarm, the Fire and Rescue Service was powerless to extinguish the fire which consumed the building in a flash.
"Our school guard reacted immediately, he saw that a far-off corner of the church was on fire and called the Fire and Rescue Service. However, as the church is made from wood.. it's just a moment until the flames have started raging," said Jurēvica.
"We stood there together in the black night with Artūrs Veispals, the main organizer of the restoration works, and we just stood there in a mute silence. We had no words and could only watch on, helplessly," she said.
It was planned to fully overhaul the outside of the church and restore and supplement the interior, and some of the work had been finished already.
From now on, church services will be held at the local house of culture.
