Part of vacant church in Delaware County collapses after heavy fire
CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) - A fire at a vacant church in Chester, Delaware County, caused part of the building to collapse. It took firefighters about two hours to get the flames under control at the church of West Third and Parker Streets early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters got the call around 3:45 a.m. that the church was burning. When they arrived, they encountered heavy flames.
The call escalated to a three-alarm fire, which means that not only city firefighters but firefighters from suburban departments also responded. Nearly 100 firefighters responded to the scene.
Chester firefighters battling a church fire at W. 3rd St. and Parker St. The roof and a front wall have collapsed. The old age of the building and the frigid temperatures are also making firefighting conditions more challenging. pic.twitter.com/x4SwFNOoBh
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) December 19, 2023
The fire is out, but there remains an active presence.
Fire officials said one of the biggest problems is that the roof and a front wall collapsed, so it's too dangerous for firefighters to go inside or bring their trucks close.
"The roof collapsed on the church, and again, just because of the state of condition, it was a vacant church," Chester City fire commissioner John-Paul Shirley said. "I'm going to say the roof on the church wasn't in the greatest condition to begin with."
The building used to belong to Saint Mary Church, but officials said it's no longer active and the church itself had been gutted.
Two other challenges fire officials said they're facing are the age of the building and the frigid weather.
Officials said because this is a church fire, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be getting involved.
No one was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation..