Fire engulfed an historic church building belonging to LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Churchin downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesday, Aug. 26, according to city fire officials.
Thefire broke outat approximately 10:55 p.m. Wednesday at former Seventh-Day Adventist building near Oakes Street and Sheldon Avenue, a few blocks south of Fulton Street (M-21), the Grand Rapids Professional Firefighters Union Local 366 said on Facebook.
"Rescue Company 2 arrived on the scene of a large church with heavy smoke and fire showing from the basement windows," the union's Facebook past said. "Crews attempted an interior attack using several hoselines in the basement and on the main level of the church, but the fire was already ahead of them in the walls and void
spaces. Companies from all over the city responded throughout the night to this fire and additional off-duty members were called in to staff extra machines for relief. This is still an active scene as of this morning."
There was no risk to the Christian Reformed Church's main campus next door on LaGrave Avenue, the church said in a statement on Facebook.
Efforts to extinguish the fire were still ongoing Thursday morning, Aug. 27.
The building wasconstructed in 1894, according to the Grand Rapids City Archives and Records Center.
"The City of Grand Rapids Archives is located near the church at 108 Sheldon Ave SE. Records show the church was built c.1894 as the All Souls Universalist Church. It would later be a Seventh Day Adventist Church. Sadly, the church caught fire on Wednesday," the Archives said.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Historic Grand Rapids church burns. Firefighters battled through night
