Structure fire
BENTON RIDGE -- An Advent wreath with burning candles, left unattended on a pulpit, caused a fire early Wednesday that gutted the sanctuary of Calvary United Methodist Church in Benton Ridge, state fire investigators said.
The State Fire Marshal's Office ruled the fire was accidental. No one was injured.
Five fire departments responded shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday to the church at 117 Main St. The blaze was knocked down by 7 a.m.
"When we arrived, the flames were through the roof," Blanchard Township Fire Chief Bob Schoonover said.
The church's brick structure remained intact after the fire, but the interior was heavily damaged, particularly the sanctuary, Schoonover said.
Several stained glass windows were damaged when the hot temperatures melted the leading, causing the stained glass sections to fall.
Water and smoke damage was also heavy, and firefighters had to cut holes in the church roof while battling the blaze, the chief said.
The church houses a congregation of about 40.
Of the 30 or so pews inside, all were waterlogged. Bibles and hymnals still tucked in their respective slots dripped with water and soot Wednesday.
Members of the congregation were dejected as they came to look at their beloved small-town church.
"I am in shock, I am devastated," said longtime member Mimi Burner. "Our kids were baptized here, everybody was married here. There is so much Burner heritage here."
Burner held shards of stained glass in her hand, taken from the window just above the church's entrance which had been blown out.
"It's just one of those things that happens, we just have to go forward from here," said Pastor David Russell.
"It's pretty well charred inside, there was a lot of heat in there. It will all have to be redone on the inside of the sanctuary, the whole thing will have to be remodeled," said Russell.
Head Pastor Dick Powell said the fire is "going to take us away from there for the Christmas season."
Powell said the church will have a Sunday service at 10 a.m. at Benton Ridge Park inside the meeting room.
"There is another church here in town and they have offered us to have services there on Sunday," Russell said.
Burner said a few items from the church were salvaged included a kneeling bench, Bible pulpit and a quilt which was hanging in the classroom of the church.
Powell said the church was insured.
Whether the church will be remodeled or torn down and rebuilt will be decided by the insurance company, Russell said.
"I think we will have 100 percent support from the congregation. I think they will all be behind getting the church back the way it was," Russell said.
Youth Pastor Tammy Brown hopes the community will rally around the church.
"Church is not about the building, it's about what's inside," she said. "But it's still hard, this is definitely not going to be easy.
"There is a long heritage of people who have put their heart and soul into this church," Brown said.
Church Trustee Bob Fenstermaker, who transferred to the church in 1982, commended firefighters for their work in containing the damage largely to the inside.
"It's just a building, it is just a building," he said. "We will be back."
Emergency responders from Blanchard, Liberty and Allen townships, McComb and Rawson were called to the scene. The Hancock County Chapter of the American Red Cross provided assistance.
The Courier
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5 23 09 Barn Fireby 570lib15,038 views
great stop!
shortfireman0609 1 year ago
that was the first structure fire that i was able to go into. that was a new experience
AKitchen033 2 years ago
I seen this on the news yesterday. You do a great job of capturing the moment. Good footage
Bigdcorbin 2 years ago