Some 250 firefighters battle 5-alarm fire at vacant church in Pottstown, Montgomery County
POTTSTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- Firefighters battled a five-alarm fire that broke out early Friday at a vacant church in Pottstown, Montgomery County, forcing evacuations of nearby homes.
It happened at the former Invictus Ministries building at North Hanover and Chestnut streets.
The initial call came in at 6:22 a.m., and crews arrived within three minutes because the firehouse is nearby.
Firefighters entered through a side door but were forced to retreat after only three minutes due to intense heat.
The blaze quickly escalated, drawing about 250 firefighters from three counties. The roof was intact when crews arrived but burned through and collapsed.
"We had to evacuate. It was definitely looking like there could be a collapse," said Frank Hand, chief of the Pottstown Fire Department. "A church is a big building. There's a lot of air, a lot of wood, so once the fire gets into that roof area it just runs all the way through."
The Action Cam was there as the church's steeple collapsed around 12:15 p.m.
"We brought in structural engineers. There was actually a bell in there, an old brass bell, and they thought it was safer to let that burn off and collapse into the building rather than that steeple tipping one way or the other," said Hand.
Officials said about 25 people from 10 homes were evacuated. Those residents have since been allowed back into their homes.
"Truth is, my heart is with the neighbors whose homes have been affected as well," said John Folk, pastor of Trinity Reform United Church of Christ. "Especially right now, this is a time that is difficult for a lot of people, and we want to make sure we're able to offer whatever support we can."
The building was once home to Invictus Ministries, which has since relocated. The fire chief said the property was not being used for any purpose.
On Friday night, demolition crews began tearing down what was left of the structure.
The church, at Hanover and Chestnut streets, had stood since the 1850s. It was home to nearly 200 years of memories. That includes weddings like Bonnie Hallman's.
"In 1984. My in-laws were very big in the church," she said.
She and other neighbors watched for hours as the steeple burned down, piece by piece.
"Over the years, it got kind of neglected," said Frank Warner.
"It's just another challenge for a town that's struggling," said Paula Fennelly.
Neighbors have been worried about this vacant church for years. Its newest owners, a redeveloper, had boarded it up just this week, according to the borough.
"The building was being cleaned out and was vacant, so there very well could have been a possibility that there were trespassers that had gotten into the building," said borough manager Justin Keller.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries, but people in Pottstown are hurting.
"To see it all gone is just a lost piece of history here," said Warner.
