'I was sick': Fire destroys woman's 1800s home

The owner of a home in Tignish built more than 150 years ago was distraught when she learned the building burned to the ground Halloween night.

"I was there last night and I was sick, I just couldn't believe it," said Cora Gaudette Shea on Wednesday.

Prince County RCMP are investigating. They said they don't yet know the cause of the fire, but believe it is suspicious.

Gaudette Shea said the fire has left her shaken.

"I just want to know why, what gave them the right to do that."

The house known as Elizabeth Cran House locally once belonged to Bishop Peter McIntyre in the mid-1800s, Architectural Historian Reg Porter said in a post on a P.E.I. Heritage Buildings blog.

Gaudette Shea bought the house in 2009. She did planto tear it down but hoped to save some of its unique features, such as mouldings and stained glass windows. She had been talking with antique dealers.

"I know it was old and had to come down but it was my building and my determination what would happen," she said.

"Nice just to keep that character and we're never going to see it again."

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Disability, social services spending $2.46M over budget
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Change your clocks, change your batteries, reminds Charlottetown Fire Department