A fire at First Christian Church ignited the church's roof just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, causing the building’s evacuation and smoke to billow over downtown Bloomington.
Max Litwin, the deputy fire chief at the Bloomington Fire Department, said nobody was injured in the fire, as smoke and water damage was confined to the front area of the church. The fire is fully extinguished.
Roofing materials caused the smoke, Litwin said, but the cause of the fire and ignition is still under investigation.
At least seven fire trucks were at the scene, including two using ladders. At least one ambulance was present.
With Kirkwood Avenue restricted to pedestrians, the yellow bollards were removed to allow fire trucks to better access the fire. Two trucks were still able to water the fire from Washington Street, Litwin said.
Caleb Hoagland, the church’s interim director of outreach, said an employee yelled “fire” and pulled the fire alarm. According to Litwin, the fire department received a call at approximately 3:06 p.m. The fire department, which is located less than a half mile away from the church, was on scene within five minutes.
“Fire department did a great job,” Hoagland said. “It was out very quickly, so we hope the damage was mitigated.”
The 199-year-old church has undergone construction, as there were “major structural things” that needed updated. Hoagland said they recently finished a capital campaign that had “great community involvement” and “great congregation support.”
“Real thankful for the fire department,” Hoagland said. “Real thankful that no one got hurt. We’re just praying this doesn’t affect our church, the ministry and the good work that we’re doing for folks.”
BFD battalion chief Scott McKnight said an inspector is assessing the scene and a report could be available Thursday.
This story will be updated.
