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Cambridge Lutheran Church steeple to be torn down after fire
During the fire Sunday night, onlookers could see smoke and flames pouring out of the steeple of Faith Lutheran Church.
The fate of Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge is still up in the air 24 hours after the building caught fire following an afternoon service on Easter Sunday.
Much of the building was badly damaged by the six-alarm fire, which blazed for about five hours Sunday evening. Cambridge police spokesperson Jeremy Warnick said Monday that it took an estimated 120 firefighters from Cambridge and neighboring towns to put out the fire.
Photos from Monday morning show how badly the back of the church and the steeple were damaged in the fire.
Cambridge Fire Chief Tom Cahill said previously that firefighters focused on keeping the church from collapsing, especially the steeple. But on Monday, Warnick said authorities determined the steeple is too unstable and must come down.
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“At this point, we feel that the safest thing to do so that we can open the streets up is to take that steeple off,” Cahill said Monday morning.
The steeple could come down as early as Tuesday, Warnick said. Afterward, city inspectors will evaluate the building and determine whether or not it needs to be demolished. It’s likely that we will know the ultimate fate of the church structure by the end of the week.
Photos from inside the church show the damage done to the sanctuary.
Authorities are still determining the origin and cause of the fire, and Chief Cahill said State Police are aiding in the investigation. The fire chief added that they believe the fire started at the front of the church, and that they have not ruled out the possibility that someone intentionally started the fire.
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Warnick confirmed that no civilians were harmed in the fire, though a few firefighters suffered very minor injuries.
Despite the proximity of the church to other buildings, the fire did not spread. Still, Warnick said, while nearby buildings weren’t damaged by smoke or fire, some suffered water damage as a result of firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the blaze.
Video of the fire shows just how close the church is to other buildings.
Rev. Robin Lutjohann, the church’s pastor, told The Boston Globe Monday that the church is over 100 years old.
“It’s a very old, historic building, so we’ve lost many paintings and books, which is especially sad,” he said. “But the support from the community so far has been incredible.”
Lutjohann told the Globe he and other church leaders are still reeling from the fire and trying to determine the next steps for the congregation.
“Our church continues to be a church. And so we will, in whatever way God gives us, continue to do the things that God has instructed us to do, which is to worship … We’re not going to stop that. We’re gonna continue to serve people, because that’s where our purpose is,” he said.
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