Latter-day Saints church building in Australia destroyed by fire

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Australian news outlets reported a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was destroyed in a fire early Monday.

Crews were called to the fire in Hebersham in west Sydney about 3 a.m. Monday (10 a.m. Mountain time on Sunday), 9 News in Australia reported.

No one was inside the building at the time of the fire, the outlet reported.

Fire and Rescue NSW inspector Steve Perkins told the outlet firefighters were able to prevent the fire from reaching the chapel within the meetinghouse.

Photos show severe damage to a large portion of the building.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The church released a statement on Monday morning after the fire was put out:

We are saddened to confirm that an overnight fire has caused significant damage to the Hebersham meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints.

The blaze occurred in the early hours of Monday, 6 October, 2025.

While there has been extensive damage to the building, there have been no reported injuries.

The cause of the fire is unclear and the Church is working with authorities as they investigate.

The fire happened as the church’s semiannual general conference, where church leaders speak to members at a meeting held at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, was underway. The meeting is broadcast to church members worldwide.

It’s the second major fire to affect a church meetinghouse since last Sunday. On Sept. 28, a gunman rammed his truck into a Latter-day Saint church meetinghouse in Michigan and shot and killed four people, also setting the building on fire, before he was shot and killed by police.

Reports did not say whether arson is suspected in the fire at the church building in Australia.