In the early hours of Saturday, firefighters responded to a fire in the San Gabriel Mission, where they found a massive fire that engulfed the roof and main entrance of the church, fire captain of the San Gabriel Fire Department told CNN , Antonio Negrete. The church is located about 11 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
When firefighters made a forced entry into the church in an attempt to put out the fire, parts of the roof and roof began to fall, he said.
About 80 firefighters from 12 fire agencies battled the fire for nearly three hours, Negrete added.
“During the initial stages of the fire attack, firefighters were able to remove historical artifacts and some artwork from the fire’s path,” fire chief Steven Wallace told CNN. “Once the intense fire on the roof was knocked down, firefighters re-entered the old church and made a valiant position to cut off the horizontal spread of fire near the altar area, saving items dating from the late 18th century.” .
The attached Mission Museum was also saved from the fire. The building suffered severe roof damage, with considerable smoke and water damage in the sanctuary area, according to Wallace.
No one was inside the church at the time of the fire, and no firefighter was injured in putting out the fire.
Investigate the cause of the fire.
The church was being renovated to commemorate its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration when the fire broke out.
“His unwavering efforts to stop the fire saved our altar. Thanks to our Mission family who came to cry and pray with us yesterday … it has given us renewed and revived strength to rebuild and celebrate our restoration again.”
The church has been at the center of a controversy surrounding the statues of San Junípero Serra, seen as symbols of violence and oppression of indigenous populations, which have been overthrown by activists across California.
“One of the factors that researchers are taking into account is the recent vandalism to the statues of the saint, specifically in the Los Angeles region,” said Negrete.
According to fire chief Wallace, the fire chief, will examine other churches in the Los Angeles area that have also had incidents and any possible connections between incidents.
Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report.
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