On Sunday morning, firefighters in Toronto were called to the site of a beloved church in the Little Portugal neighborhood. By the time they arrived, however, St. Anne's Anglican Church was all but gone, with only some of the outer walls left intact. 

Beyond being a community staple and popular place of worship, the 160-year-old church was home to a collection of pieces painted by the Group of Seven, which Father Don Beyers described as "priceless." The paintings are believed to have perished alongside nearly everything else inside the building.

According to the Toronto Police Service, the fire broke out shortly before 8 am on Sunday. When first responders pulled up to 270 Gladstone Avenue, they "observed thick black smoke coming from the church," which was "fully engulfed in flames."

It wasn't until nearly an hour later that Father Don Beyers was informed of the disaster. While on his way to the church, a parishioner texted him about what had happened, with several more sending him messages in the following hours.

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