Longtime Marshfield Church Destroyed by Fire on Sunday
Wednesday, September 5th, 2018 -- 7:43 AM
(WDLB) -A longtime Marshfield church was destroyed by fire, just hours after Sunday services.The Marshfield Fire and Rescue Department was called to Wesley United Methodist Church at Third and Maple downtown just after two o-clock Sunday afternoon. Deputy Chief Troy Weiland said his crews encountered flames and smoke showing on the south side of the structure when they arrived within minutes of being called out.
"We initiated what we call a transitional attack. We tried to hit it, tried to make enter to do an offensive attack. But it's difficult to get at due to the flex glass windows on the outside and the glass windows that held that heat. And eventually we had to switch tactics and go to what we call a defensive attack and fight it from the outside just for everyone's safety."
Weiland said a back-hoe was brought in so crews could attack the fire from the outside, and that's done a lot--especially with older brick structures like Wesley.
"The structure itself is metal truss. It's a compound structure, so it has wood walls on the inside and brick on the outside, that all makes it difficult to get at the fire. That's why we had to attack it from the outside because we couldn't put people safely inside due to the possibility of collapse. And it also means we have to bring in the heavy equipment. It makes it look worse, but that's the only way we can get the fire out. That structure is going to be a total loss anyway."
Weiland said no one was inside the church when the blaze broke out. Nearby homes just to the north of the church were evacuated as a precaution. Firefighters from the towns of Richfield and Hewitt helped Marshfield crews battle the blaze and subsequent hot spots into the night, and 40-to-50 people fought the fire at various times. A cause of the fire has not been determined. Wesley United Board President Larry Shortess got back to town about 5:30 to find out his longtime church home had been destroyed.
"I came here in the early 60's, I guess. My kids were confirmed here and attended Sunday school. So, yeah, it's tough, but we'll get through it."
Shortess says the board will be in emergency session at noon today (Monday) to set a course of action for responding to life after the fire.
"I'm sure we'll replace it. I'm pretty sure we're covered insurance wise. Keep us in your prayers. We need all the help we can get. Our faith is very, very strong and we'll get through it."
Shortess said the church currently has roughly 50-to-60 parishioners, and an offsite parsonage for its pastor. What began as the Methodist Episcopal Church built its first facility in 1882 at the corner of Sixth and Central, then moved the structure to Third and Maple in 1886. That facility survived the Great Marshfield Fire the following year, and an adjoining parsonage was added in 1891. In December of 1901, the congregation had just completed an entire rebuild on the Maple Avenue facility, when a fire broke out a week before Christmas. When the fire was finally under control, all that was left of the building were the outside walls and its roof. The interior had been completely destroyed. The church building was eventually restored, and later underwent multiple renovations before being replaced by a new structure in 1921.
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