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Photo: Amanda Piccirilli
Photo: Amanda Piccirilli
Area firefighters at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hatfield early Saturday. (photo/Linda Kaler)
UPDATED: 2:45 P.M.
Nancy Sellers tucked herself into bed Friday evening in her Hatfield Borough home, hoping to wake up the next day with an easy-going last day of 2011. Unfortunately, the borough had a tragedy unfold that not only affected the Sellers? family, but dozens of others.
A three-alarm fire took place at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Broad Street and Cowpath Road, Hatfield, at 1:15 a.m. sending the Hatfield Volunteer Fire Department and four of its neighboring companies to the blaze, according to Hatfield Fire Chief Terry O'Donnell.
??I heard all the engines arrive and got out of bed to see heavy black smoke was coming from the church,? said Sellers, a member of the church for over 50 and neighbor living directly across the street.
?Then all of a sudden I heard three loud toots and flames started shooting out the sides of the building,? she said. ?Fireman were on the roof when it happened. I was yelling to get them down. It?s unbelievable.?
O?Donnell and his Hatfield units arrived to the scene, seeing heavy smoke come out of the church?s education building, which is located directly on Broad Street. Upon arriving, fire departments discovered the fire started in the basement, which ultimately had flames tear through the first floor and roof, according to O?Donnell.
?So many memories have happened from this church, getting married, family members getting married ? I just can?t believe that this has happened,? said veteran church member Mary Jane Moyer.
The fire companies were able to contain the blaze to only the educational building which was the former sanctuary of the church. The old sanctuary was built in 1904 and the bell tower and right-side addition were later added in 1954.
The educational building is primarily used for Stepping Stones Nursery School & Day Care Center, as well as home-base for the Laymen Playmen, a non-profit multidenominational Christian community theatre group that raises money for needy families within the community. Continued...
?We were well in rehearsal for getting ready for what is to be our 25th anniversary show in February, (?Anything Goes,)? said Laymen Playmen president Fred Wiesinger. ?So we don?t know yet what we?re going to do with it. We?re talking whether or not to find another venue close by?we have a lot to think and talk about.?
Wiesinger confirmed that the building stored several thousand dollars? worth of lighting and sound equipment. Set displays, costumes and the stage have been completely destroyed. He watched a YouTube video taken from the late night fire and saw a melted light stand the group had used, as well as the stage completely collapsed into the basement.
?We?re so blessed to have so many people in the community support us through sponsoring and coming to see us perform,? said Wiesinger. ?With whatever may happen, I can only hope that the community will still support because while it is a tough time for us, it is a much tougher time for the families and individuals we help. They need our help.?
It took five hours to put out the flames, sending units back to their stations at roughly 6 a.m. said O?Donnell. No one was inside the building and one firefighter suffered a minor injury.
Helping with the late night inferno was Hatfield, Perseverance, Telford, Towamencin and Colmar fire companies. Also assisting were Hatfield Police, North Penn Good Will and Lansdale Volunteer Medical Service Corps.
After getting back to the station and finalizing gear clean up, fire units from Hatfield, Colmar and Souderton were called back out to Grace Lutheran Church at roughly 10 a.m. Saturday battling flames that refused to go out.
Residents from all over the borough traveled to the church to see units back at it with ladder trucks and hoses, seeing them spray water on what was left of the church.
Most of the roof burnt and collapsed, and windows were completely shattered. The brick walls were all that was left standing. Many at the site were in awe, reflecting on all of the memories that took place there.
?We have already received so much support from the local community,? said Grace Lutheran Church Council President Dave Kunkel. ?Many of the other local churches have provided us a place to worship if need be and possible day care locations. This is Hatfield ? it?s a special place with people helping people.?
At noon on Saturday, Kunkel confirmed that Grace Lutheran will still be having their Sunday worship at 9:15 a.m. because the current sanctuary received no damage and machines were currently airing out smoke from the building. Continued...
Kunkel also stated that Stepping Stones Nursery School & Day Care Center director was contacting families to set up arrangements for next week.
?The firefighters all did a terrific job,? said Kunkel. ?Many of them were out here last night and they are back out again now.?
Saturday was an exhausting day for many of the Hatfield firefighters, however, it was an emotional day for many as well.
?Many of the firefighters attend church here so it was a hard time for several of them, battling a fire in the place where they worship and find peace,? said retired firefighter and former fire chief Bob Kaler III. ?During all my years as fire chief, it always was so sad to hear those whistles go off during the holiday season.?
Many of the church members were standing along the sidewalks outside Grace Lutheran Church, consoling each other and reflecting on the memories that took place in that portion of the building the past 107 years.
According to a church member, most of the old artifacts from the church have been removed from the building except a few baptismal items, however the Laymen Playmen?s costumes, sets and equipment have been completely damaged, and the church?s records dating back to the early 1900s were in the attic portion which were not confirmed if they were destroyed from the flames or water damage.
?Hatfield Borough is what my wife refers to as a Norman Rockwell community ? we are special group and are always there for each other,? said Kaler. ?We know we will get through this together.?
No cause of the fire was stated on Saturday afternoon. The scene is still under investigation by the fire marshal.
UPDATE: Fire units have been called back to Grace Lutheran Church.
A three-alarm fire took place at Grace Lutheran Church at Broad and Main Streets, Hatfield, at 1:15 a.m., sending the Hatfield Volunteer Fire Department and three of its neighboring companies to the blaze, according to Hatfield Fire Chief Terry O'Donnell. Continued...
"Heavy smoke was coming from the church's old sanctuary, which, the department discovered, the fire started in the basement," said O'Donnell. "The flames burnt through the first floor and then through the roof."
Companies were able to contain the fire to only the old sanctuary. It took all four companies five hours to put out the flames.
According to O'Donnell a large section of the roof was burn off but walls were still standing.
Helping with the blaze were Souderton, Towamencin and Colmar fire companies and the North Penn Good Will.
A cause is still under investigation by the fire marshal.
Source: http://www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2011/12/31/news/doc4eff260a31aaa057700443.txt
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