BUFFALO, New York (LifeSiteNews) — St. Ann’s Church, a historic former Catholic parish built in 1886 by German immigrants and which is set to be converted into a mosque, was deliberately set on fire Tuesday, the third time the church has suffered a blaze this year.
On the evening of July 21, the Buffalo Fire Department responded to a fire at St. Ann’s Church, which has been unused since 2013. The department later determined that the flames were the result of arson, per WIVB Buffalo. Just four days earlier, fire crews responded to a three-alarm fire at the historic church, while back in January a four-alarm fire set to the building resulted in $600,000 in damages and destroyed what used to be St. Ann’s school attached to the church.
The previous two fires remain under investigation by police. No one was hurt in any of the three fires.
In 2012, the Diocese of Buffalo merged St. Ann’s with Saints Columba-Brigid Church due to severe structural damage, and ended all parish activities in the Gothic Revival church by 2013. Nine years later, in 2022, the diocese sold the property to Buffalo Crescent Holdings for $250,000, which owns the local Downtown Islamic Center, with plans to convert the former parish into a mosque.
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Buffalo Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope told WIVB Buffalo that she had discussed securing the former church earlier Tuesday.
“I literally just had a conversation this afternoon with a member of the administration asking what are we going to do about it and stressing that something has to be done over there to secure it, and then said it’s probably going to be set on fire again, but I just didn’t think it would happen today,” she said.
In a Wednesday statement, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan stressed that his administration “is actively exploring legal options to compel the owner to fulfill the responsibility to properly maintain and secure the building.”
Following the January fire, the city government considered demolishing the property, with Ryan saying the city was looking for the owners to pay the $2 million in demolition costs in February.
After this week’s fire, Halton-Pope said she intends to explore every available option to resolve the issue, from fines to securing the building.
Several commentators noted the timing of the fires on X, when the Muslim owners are planning to convert the church, which requires millions in repairs, into a mosque.
🇺🇸 A historic Buffalo church has been hit by another fire, and investigators say it was arson.
St. Ann’s Church, built in 1886, suffered its 2nd fire in 4 days and 3rd this year. The building was sold in 2022 to an affiliate of the Downtown Islamic Center.
A local councilwoman…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 23, 2026
Here we go again…a 140-year-old church in Buffalo, New York has been torched twice in 4 days by arson. It’s almost like they’re erasing Christian culture, one historic flame at a time… pic.twitter.com/Y1QIadijvZ
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) July 23, 2026
The historic St. Ann’s Catholic Cathedral in Buffalo, New York, has been set on FIRE. The cause has been determined as ARSON.
The church, which had been sold to the Muslim community for just $250,000, was slated to be converted into a mosque, but had been facing strong backlash… pic.twitter.com/uWOZXTd4x0
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) July 23, 2026
However, no evidence has emerged linking the owners to the attacks.