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The reverend of a historic Auckland church that caught fire Saturday afternoon said he was “sad to see so much history fizzled out” but grateful that no one was hurt.
The Rev. Grant Ridout watched as dozens of firefighters tackled a massive fire at St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in Ponsonby.
Fire and Emergency NZ was called to the fire just before 3.30pm on Saturday. At its peak, 18 teams were fighting the blaze, Northern Fire Communications shift manager Craig Dally said.
Ridout said things didn’t look good for the inside of the building, but that wasn’t all that mattered: “It’s the people who meet in the building that make up the church anyway.”
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The 134 year old church on Jervois Road is a New Zealand heritage building made from kauri.
ABIGAIL DOUGHERTY / Stuff
Fire crews were called to the fire on Saturday afternoon.
The 20-meter by 40-meter blaze broke out in the main hall of the single-story church, Dally said.
There were no reports of anyone inside the church when the fire started, and there were no reports of injuries.
The congregation would still meet on Sunday, he said. There was a lot of shock and disbelief in the community, “but also optimism that we will move on.”
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Flames on the roof of the church.
A crowd of about 150 people gathered on the street in front of the church on Saturday afternoon, watching as smoke rose above their heads and flames licked the ceiling.
Firefighters from three cherry pickers threw water into a large hole that had appeared in the ceiling.
Police and firefighters blocked Shelly Beach Rd and part of Ponsonby Rd and were diverting traffic.
ABIGAIL DOUGHERTY / Stuff
Fourteen teams are fighting the fire at St. Stephens Presbyterian Church.
Two stained glass windows were missing and a large part of the wooden church is black and charred.
Ridout said that while the outer walls were still standing, it was the roof that received the most impact.
He said they had no idea what could have caused the fire. Fire investigators were investigating it, Dally said.
