Staff at Khalsa summer camp in Mission heartbroken by suspicious fire

MISSION (NEWS 1130) — Staff at a Khalsa summer camp in Mission are rattled after a suspicious overnight fire destroyed its gym.

Khalsa Centre camp director Sundeep Kaur and 16 of her staff members were awoken in the middle of the night and said nothing remains of the building but a few bricks.

“Sad. Shocked,” Kaur said of how she feels about the loss of the gym. “We pour our heart and soul into this place, and to see it up in flames like that, we’re heartbroken.”

Crews were called to the building on 14100 Stave Lake Road, in the Miracle Valley area, just before 2:00 a.m.

Kaur is grateful for the help of the Mission fire department, but still scared.

“We have a very, very kind and generous volunteer fire department here, who spent the entire night here fighting this fire to make it didn’t spread to the trees or anything like that,” she added.

“We’re very grateful to the volunteer fire department. At the same time, we’re very scared, because if this was deliberately set, then it’s scary.”

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Kaur said the centre, already struggling financially as summer camps were cancelled due to COVID-19, will have to raise money to replace the gym. A gofundme page has been established to help out.

Mission RCMP’s serious crime unit is now overseeing the investigation.

“After an initial investigation, police believe the fire may have been deliberately set,” says a release from Mission RCMP.

No suspects or motive have been identified.

Police could not confirm if anyone was staying on the grounds of the Khalsa Centre at the time of the fire.

If the fire was deliberately set, Kaur is confused as to who would do that.

“We have very kind neighbours. We have a very tight-knit community here a Khalsa Centre,” she added. “It’s scary. If this was deliberately set, what was the purpose?”

The Khalsa Centre has been hosting virtual campfires during the summer.