Steeple at Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge to come down after devastating Easter fire
CAMBRIDGE - The steeple at the Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge will come down Tuesday, after a devastating fire on Easter Sunday.
No one was hurt in the fire, which started about a half-hour after parishioners left following an Easter service. The fire did not spread or damage any buildings nearby, but the high, open ceilings of the church and the wood throughout allowed it to burn fast.
Firefighters stayed at the scene on Broadway overnight to help prevent the steeple from collapsing after flames tore through it. But engineers said Monday it will have to come down because of structural integrity concerns.
"It has been a place of worship for a number of communities for over a century and so we're going to do everything we can to preserve it for future generations. But it's an emotional moment. It fills me with sadness and with dread about the work that is ahead of us," said Pastor Robin Lutjohann. He told WBZ-TV the steeple will be taken down Tuesday.
"It is devastating," said church member Diane Garner, who's worshipped at the church for more than 20 years. "We're not going to have a church."
"I don't know where we go from here," she told WBZ.
Lutjohann said the church would try to find a way to host their soup kitchen on Tuesday.
There's no word yet on how or where the fire started.
