Police responding to a motion detector alarm at United Christian Church early Wednesday morning arrived to find flames tearing out the door, calling immediately for the fire department.
The Aberdeen Fire Department got the structure fire call at 2:32 a.m., said Chief Dave Golding.
“Initially it came in as a burglar alarm, from a motion detector. Sometimes those motion detectors will detect the fire as movement,” Golding said in an interview. “Law showed up, saw the fire, and then called us.”
The Aberdeen and Hoquiam fire departments responded to the call, Golding said.
“Units arrived to find flames on the front of the building and made a quick attack and was able to knock the fire down and extinguish it in a rapid fashion,” Golding said. “It was pretty straightforward as far as fire suppression goes. There was some extension. Crews got into it just in time before it got a hold in the second story of the building.”
Though the firefighters were able to hit it fast, the damage is still substantial, Golding said. About 15 firefighters from both departments responded, clearing the scene at around 5 a.m., Golding said.
“Even though we were able to quickly extinguish it there is significant damage to the first floor parish hall side of the church,” Golding said. “It had the potential to be much larger than what it was, if it was not for the motion detectors going off. The fire probably would have been going much longer and got more of a foothold.”
The fire department, along with the Aberdeen Police Department, is investigating the origin of the fire, Golding said. It’s too early in the investigation to make any preliminary guesses about the cause, Golding said.
“We investigate every fire,” Golding said. “Some fires we do joint fires with the police department.”
The church’s pastor Jeff Johnson said that they’re assessing the damage and figuring out what’s needed as they look toward the future of the ‘40s-era building.
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.
