Chilliwack: Church Structure Fire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5th, 2023

On September 4th at approximately 2:50pm, the Chilliwack Fire Department was dispatched to a report of smoke coming from a church in the 9300 block of Williams Street. 54 Firefighters from Halls 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 responded to the scene and discovered smoke venting from the attic space of the large, wood-framed 75-year-old church.

Crews initially entered the building to locate the seat of the fire but were faced with heat and heavy smoke. Due to the rapidly deteriorating conditions inside the building, all firefighters were pulled back and defensive fire suppression operations utilizing multiple aerial master streams and handlines were initiated for the remainder of the incident.

Fire crews worked tirelessly for several hours and were challenged with a large wood-framed building, heavy volumes of smoke and fire and several structural collapses. A piece of heavy equipment was brought to the scene in the evening to remove some collapse hazards and begin demolition of parts of the building.

Through the efforts of firefighters and the heavy equipment, several important documents and items were able to be successfully retrieved and returned to members of the church that were at the scene of the fire.

The Chilliwack Salvation Army responded to the scene and provided food and nourishment for fire crews.

Two firefighters received minor injuries and there were no civilian injuries reported.

The fire is currently under investigation by Chilliwack Fire Officials.