Massive fire tears through vacant, historic church in downtown Santa Ana
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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.
***UPDATE*** crews still working in a defensive manner from the exterior of the structure. Fire is at 4 alarms with roughly 25 Fire Units and 100 firefighters on scene. Video footage shows early stages of the fire. pic.twitter.com/H12CfV6lfO
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) May 7, 2020
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.
***UPDATE*** Fire declared knocked down at 4:38. No injuries to firefighters at this time. Fire units will be on scene for an extended amount of time to conduct overhaul and begin a fire investigation. pic.twitter.com/YcUCnJfNzd
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) May 7, 2020