Tour Commander, 509.625.7100
Monday, September 27, 2021 at 8:44 a.m.
At approximately 12:30, Sunday Sept. 26th, the Spokane Fire Dept. was dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at 518 W 3rd Ave, Central United Methodist Church.
While enroute, crews observed a visible smoke column in the area and upgraded the incident to a "working fire". On arrival heavy black smoke was visible from the western bell tower, and fire was showing on the roof. Companies forced entry to the structure to search for occupants and advance hose lines to the fire area. Simultaneously, other crews were accessing the roof via aerial ladders to begin fire suppression.
The main fire area was the roof, and it was quickly extinguished with minimal extension into the attic. Crews conducted extensive overhaul of the rooms just below the fire area to ensure extinguishment. The church was unoccupied at the time, and there were no injuries to firefighter or civilians.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by SFD investigators.
