Tragedy as 109 year old wooden Catholic church is destroyed by fire in Tomsk region

The cause of the fire is not known but it burned to the ground early on Wednesday, said local officials. 

The first brigade arrived to the site at 04:25, the fire was stopped by 06:55. 

Yury Sevostyanov, head of Pudovskoye village which incorporates Belostok, said: 'I got a phone call about the fire at 4am.

'The church burned to the ground. 

'It was  a dry building with paints used for decoration... 

'It is not clear how the fire started, perhaps, from power post nearby. 

'Emergency Ministry experts are establishing the reason - but it was not arson.'

Belostok was founded by migrants from Poland who arrived in Siberia at the beginning of 20th century as the tsar reformed agriculture. 

'The church was built in 1908 by immigrants. Later, in Soviet times, it was used as a warehouse, then  a community centre, and in the 1990s it was moved to a different location,' he said.

'Catholics held their services there, a prist from a church in Tomsk came for Sunday service. 

'Some foreigners were  due to visit in May.'