A fire broke out and sent flames from the roof of a church in Hebron, prompting the response of a dozen fire departments across the area Thursday evening.
The Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded around 9:05 p.m. Thursday to St John’s Lutheran Church, 9812 St. Albans Street, for a report of a structure fire.
A 911 caller reported seeing flames coming from the roof and the cross of the church.
Firefighters arrived and confirmed fire was coming from the roof.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring additional fire departments to the scene.
Approximately a dozen fire departments responded to the scene in total from both Illinois and Wisconsin.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire by around 9:30 p.m.
St. John’s Lutheran Church Council President Don Gritmacker said the fire was contained to the steeple.
The fire was extinguished and fire departments remained at the scene checking to make sure the building was safe, he said.
There was also water damage under the steeple area but the sanctuary was safe and not damaged.
“We would like to thank the person who called 911 to report the fire and also to every fire department that came and fought to save our community church,” Gritmacker said.
“Thank you all for the prayers and please continue to pray that we will be able to fix the damages and continue to serve our beloved community!” he added.
Village officials said that while the damage to the church was “thankfully minimal,” it does not lessen the concern that the congregants and community feel for “one of our Village’s own.”
“The Village of Hebron extends our sympathies to those affected by the fire. We hope that the church and all of its congregation have a speedy recovery and we, as a village, will be here to assist in any way we can,” the village said.
“We would also like to thank the brave men and women of the Alden Hebron Greenwood Fire Protection District as well as the firefighters and first responders who were on scene last night to extinguish the blaze and help keep the community and its residents safe, the village added.
Gritmacker said it is unknown yet what caused the fire. Fire department radio traffic indicated it was possibly from a lightning strike.
A damage estimate was not immediately available.