202005.07
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Massive fire tears through vacant, historic church in downtown Santa Ana

by in News

  • A massive fire tore through a historic vacant building at 115 E. Santa Ana Blvd. that once housed the United Presbyterian Church in downtown Santa Ana early Thursday, May 7. (OnScene.TV)

  • A 2015 file photo shows the former United Presbyterian Church at 115 E. Santa Ana Boulevard in Santa Ana, CA. The building, which once housed The Pacific Symphony Center, caught fire on Thursday, May 7, 2020. (File photo by Sam Gangwer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  • A massive fire tore through a historic vacant building at 115 E. Santa Ana Blvd., and Bush Street, that once housed the United Presbyterian Church in downtown Santa Ana early Thursday, May 7. (OnScene.TV)

  • A 2015 file photo shows the former United Presbyterian Church at 115 E. Santa Ana Boulevard in Santa Ana, CA. The building, which once housed The Pacific Symphony Center, caught fire on Thursday, May 7, 2020. (File photo by Sam Gangwer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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A massive fire tore through a historic, vacant building that once housed a church built in 1911 in downtown Santa Ana early Thursday.

Firefighters were called to the building, at East Santa Ana Boulevard and North Bush Street, just before 2:40 a.m. and found the fire coming out of the roof and called for more firefighters.

About 100 firefighters worked to quell the flames of the building that once housed the United Presbyterian Church.

As the former worship site burned, flames blanketed the roof and shot upwards as pieces of it fell to the ground.

The blaze was declared under control at about 4:38 a.m., Orange County Fire Authority officials said. No injuries were reported and investigators were trying to determine the cause.

In recent times, many of the building’s windows and entrances were boarded up.

According to city records, the two-story church with a basement was built in the classical-revival style. It is categorized as a landmark. At one point, it was home to the Orange County Pacific Symphony.