Nearly three weeks after a four-alarm fire tore through the historic St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto, the section of Gladstone Ave. where the building stood for 116 years remains closed to drivers, cyclists and even pedestrians.

As of Thursday evening, police remain stationed along the street, which is still fully closed off just north of Dundas St. W. following the June 9 blaze.

It's something some locals have been questioning online, with one person asking on Reddit why "pedestrians — not just cars, pedestrians — have been banned from walking north or south past St. Anne's at any time, for any reason."

A representative for the Toronto Police Service confirmed to blogTO via email that two squad cars have been parked on the roadway in front of the destroyed structure "for scene security and safety" while the Ontario Fire Marshal's office continues their in-depth investigation into the tragic incident.

Given that what remains of the building is no longer secure or stable, it is a public safety issue, they said.

Residents looking to drive, bike or walk on Gladstone just north of Dundas will need to turn back, as the street remains closed in front of St. Anne's Anglican Church more than 2.5 weeks after the century-old building was gutted by fire.

Officers on the scene at the time of blogTO's visit said they expect the area to stay shuttered to all traffic in both directions for at least another week, at best, but it appears other passersby were given a much longer timeline of three or more weeks.

As the community mourns the loss of the landmark and the priceless artefacts it housed — including religious murals by the Group of Seven — authorities have still not alluded to a potential cause for the inferno, though arson was not suspected, as of June 10.

A fundraiser to help the parish recover and rebuild has so far raised more than $33,000.