Update on Beecher Church Fire

A few more details now on that fire yesterday that destroyed St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beecher. In a press release, Beecher Fire says an EMS crew had been called to the church about 1:30 Sunday afternoon to treat an ill person. While treating that person, crews were notified of a fire in the church. When firefighters got to the scene, they found heavy smoke and fire in the north end of the building and in the church’s steeple. As they entered through the south end of building, firefighters found heavy smoke and fire in the building’s vaulted ceiling and escalated to a third alarm, which brought in a total of 10 fire engines, five ladder trucks, 12 tenders, five ambulances and 11 chief officers. Because the closest fire hydrant was about a mile away, some 91-thousand gallons of water had to be trucked in to fight the blaze. Reports say one firefighter was transported to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion while three others were treated and released on the scene. Locally, firefighters from Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Manteno, and Grant Park were among those called to the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the more than 150-year-old church building has been declared a complete loss.