Firefighters battling church fire in Aurora
Posted April 11, 2014 1:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It will be hours before fire crews knock out flames at a church in the Yonge and Wellington area of Aurora.
“It will take us some time yet,” deputy fire chief Paul Leslie told reporters Friday afternoon.
The fire broke out at the Aurora United Church around 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
Leslie told 680News he’s not optimistic about being able to save the structure.
“It’d be difficult to assess at this point but certainly once you have fire through the roof of the building the probability of it being saved is pretty low,” he said.
About 60 firefighters from Aurora and neighbouring communities, such as Richmond Hill and Stouffville, attended the scene. York Regional Police and paramedics were also on scene.
York paramedics treated one person in the area for respiratory issues. Leslie said he believes that person had asthma.
About six homes were evacuated due to the large cloud of smoke in the area. Those residents will be likely be allowed back home once the flames are extinguished.
Some preschoolers and adults that were in the church at the time and work crews on the roof were forced to leave quickly and no injuries were reported.
Leslie said there were roofing crews working on the building ahead of the fire but it was too early to know if something they were doing sparked the flames.
The work on the roof was scheduled to be finished by Saturday, according to the church’s website.
People are being told to stay away from the area to allow fire crews the room they need and to avoid the smoke cloud for their health.
Yonge Street is shut down between Wellington and Morsely and will remain closed until the evening.
Jeff Bellamy and his wife Natalie were married in this church almost 10 years ago.
“That church was just beautiful on the inside,” Bellamy told CityNews.
The couple lives in Bradford and they chose Aurora United Church for its classic styling, from the pews to the stained glass windows.
“It was picturesque, when you think of a church to get married in.”
The couple had planned to revisit the church this summer for their 10th wedding anniversary on Aug. 21.
After hearing about the fire from his wife, Bellamy was watching live footage of the fire as he worked from home Friday afternoon.
“It’s sad to see,” Bellamy said.
“This is a devastating loss for our community and thankfully no one was injured,” said Aurora Mayor Geoffrey Dawe in a news release. “The Town of Aurora will be working closely with Aurora United Church staff to provide assistance in this time of crisis.”
The church was originally housed in a log cabin built in 1818. The current building was designed by Henry Langley in the Gothic Revival style and built in 1878.
Leslie said despite the building’s age its solid construction helped it withstand hours of fire and extreme heat.
“The structure and the construction of the building certainly is not weak. It is just the nature of churches that they are very tall. They’re very difficult to access. You can’t access the roof from the inside. That made it very difficult for us to fight the fire.”
